Growing up, I saw first-hand how mental health challenges impact young people like myself and my peers. These experiences shaped me, and continue to lead me to the person I am today: a passionate advocate determined to bring about long term transformative change in how young people are active and engaged in the mental health services they receive.My work has always been based on lived experience, collaboration, and a strong belief that the best ideas often come from those who have lived through and overcome the obstacles they face. Whether I'm working with youth to campaign for structural reform or directly with communities, my goal has and will always be to make support and opportunities accessible, compassionate, and successful.My journey as an advocate began with the UK Youth Parliament, where I had the opportunity of representing young people’s voices on matters that were important to them. That experience continues to teach me the power of youth voice and how critical it is to ensure young people are involved in the decisions that affect their lives.As CEO of A Little Bit of Sunshine, I am now channelling that same passion into providing opportunities for young people to shape the mental health services they deserve. I value the fact that as a charity, we don't just talk about improving the system; we actively include young people, encouraging them to take responsibility and ownership for defining their support services.