18-year-old Natalie joined our
foundation learning programme at YMCA Training Romford having been
excluded from school.
Natalie's school education was
disrupted by house moves resulting in seven changes of school. With
every move, Natalie worked hard to gain acceptance from a new peer
group, only to later say goodbye. Picking up on work from one
school to another was difficult too and Natalie struggled to keep
up.
Good friends are not easy to find and Natalie fell in with the
wrong crowd which resulted in her being excluded from school.
Natalie felt let down - her life seemed a mess both at school and
at home and arguing became her usual method of communication.
Our FL programme was a turning point for Natalie. She was fast
approaching adulthood and she knew she needed to take
responsibility for her actions. To Natalie's credit, she exceeded
everyone's expectations. The problems in her personal life were
still there, but she developed strategies other than anger to cope
with new problems.
As Natalie nears the end of her programme, she is proving to be
an excellent example to other learners. She has put a lot of effort
into FL and into her own development and has passed exams in
English and Maths. She is also close to completing Employability
& Personal Development and Step Up qualifications
17-year-old Maria joined our
foundation learning (FL) programme at YMCA Training Leeds
determined to achieve success.
Whilst she was at school, Maria
took her studies seriously, however family illness and depression
led to her not achieving the GCSE results she wanted. Maria decided
on a career path and joined college but getting involved in a
violent relationship led to Maria to become depressed, and her
attendance at college dropped to nearly zero.
Eventually Maria decided that
enough was enough and she decided to move back in with her family
and take control of her life. After visiting Connexions, she joined
our FL programme.
During her time on the programme,
Maria's commitment to both her learning and to staff members was
exemplary. She worked hard to "get her life back" and has overcome
huge personal barriers by sheer determination and the will to
succeed.
As a result of joining YMCA
Training, Maria has developed into a confident and happy young
person who has proved her ability by achieving a variety of
qualifications whilst working hard to look after her mother. She
has a great strength of character and staff members say she is a
joy to work with.
18-year-old Hassan joined the foundation learning
programme at YMCA Training Manchester in 2010.
When he first joined the programme, Hassan was quiet and lacked
confidence. He was unsure of what he wanted to do and needed help
with his communication skills and with his social personal
development. Hassan was quite an angry person and would easily be
wound up or fly off the handle, so he also needed guidance with
anger management.
During his time with YMCA Training,
Hassan worked hard to overcome these barriers and achieved a wide
range of qualifications.
One of his main achievements was
improving his interaction with his peers and training advisers.
Hassan started boxing as his confidence grew and found it was
something he enjoyed - this has also helped channel his anger and
has had a positive effect on his learning.
Hassan is now able to communicate at a
much better level and this has helped him form strong bonds within
his peer group. He participates effectively in activities and
contributes to a team environment.
Hassan has now progressed onto an
apprenticeship and is positive about his future.
Jonny, 17, joined YMCA Training
Norwich's foundation learning programme having left college and
been referred to us by Connexions.
Jonny was on the brink of giving up on
education and was considering taking a year out. He had a friendly
disposition but little confidence in himself. He was reluctant to
speak to anyone on the phone (other than friends) and whilst he was
motivated, he had never worked or had much work
experience.
Jonny decided to give education one
last try and joined YMCA Training. He was worried about starting at
another new place where he didn't know anyone and had quite a low
self esteem. However, he found he quickly made friends and settled
onto the programme.
Whilst on the programme, Jonny went
from strength to strength. His group at YMCA Training become a
close knit team who supported each other throughout the programme
with each challenge they faced. He became more comfortable in
sessions and readily joined in with group tasks and discussions
including one with a local MP. Jonny worked hard to secure work
placements as well as a part time paid job and has completed a
number of qualifications.
Jonny has mapped out a pathway to
continue from YMCA Training onto A levels and then onto
University.
Lewis came to YMCA Training Romford in November
2008.
He had just moved into the area from Northampton and was
to be fostered by a family locally. Lewis found the whole
experience overwhelming - his concerns ranged from travelling on
public transport, to mixing with other people.
YMCA Training worked closely with Lewis to support him through
his issues and engineered partnerships with other learners until he
was able to forge friendships. Through fun activities and
team building events, debates and teaching sessions, Lewis
gradually began to integrate with other learners and built up a
social network with learners outside of the centre. By the
summer of 2009 he was supporting new learners as they joined the
programme and helping them to settle socially into e2e.
Lewis completed his e2e programme in September 2009 and has now
progressed on to a construction course - Lewis often visits YMCA
Training to update staff and learners on his progress, he said:
"With the support of people around me I learnt to move forward
instead of looking back. At first it was hard but I finally
got there and my life has changed for the better."
Zoe, 17, joined our e2e programme at YMCA Training
Norwich after being referred by Connexions.
She had been heavily bullied at school and developed an
eating disorder as a result. She also had no confidence or
self-esteem and couldn't communicate or make eye contact with
anyone.
When Zoe started on the e2e programme, staff at YMCA Training
gave her the care and support she needed to rebuild her confidence
and trust in people - she became friends with another learner on
the programme and by treating and listening to Zoe like an adult,
staff were able to help bridge the gaps she had in training and
education.
Because she didn't feel judged at YMCA Training, Zoe was able to
flourish and make new friends, even becoming a mentor to a new
learner joining the programme. Her confidence grew so much that she
even ran three mini workshops for other learners and undertook a
work placement at a local bridal shop.
During her time on the e2e programme, Zoe gained qualifications
in English, maths and ICT and, after completing the programme, she
has now progressed onto a retail apprenticeship which she hopes to
complete before the end of the year.
Zoe said: "YMCA Training has given me everything - they have
helped me get my confidence back, and I have learned to enjoy life,
trust people, always work hard and to never be afraid. I'm a much
stronger person now."
Adam Savvas, foundation learning manager at YMCA Training
Norwich, said: "Zoe has made such massive personal and social
development and hers has to be one of the most remarkable
turnarounds we have ever seen. We are all very proud of her and the
world is currently her oyster."
Craig Gentle, 17, joined our e2e
programme in Welwyn Garden City in September 2009 after sitting his
GSCE exams.
After considering full-time employment and college, Craig came
to YMCA Training to continue his learning - Craig is on the
autistic spectrum and is dyslexic and felt that he would find the
college environment too intimidating.
Craig initially joined our e2e programme where he worked really
hard and proved himself to be reliable, building his confidence and
self-esteem along the way. His enthusiasm meant he quickly secured
a work placement, and he has now progressed onto a Level 2 Children
and Young People's Workforce apprenticeship with YMCA Training
Welwyn Garden City.
During his time with YMCA Training so far, Craig has completed
his e2e programme three months ahead of schedule and has gained his
Certificate in Children's Care, Learning and Development, as well
as Key Skills qualifications in Application of Number and
Communications.
Melissa Burnett, co-ordinator for YMCA Training, said: "Craig
has put in a lot of extra time and effort to work on his unit and
assignments due to his autism and dyslexia. He is extremely
focussed and determined to achieve his goal of gaining his
childcare qualification."
Craig said: "YMCA Training has helped
me so much to gain new qualifications and skills. While I have been
on placement they have continued to support me to gain and achieve
the knowledge for my long-term career in childcare."
Nicola joined YMCA
Training in Chester in September 2008 after being referred to our
STREET, (Steps To Real Education, Employment and Training)
Programme by her teacher.
Nicola's school felt that she
had issues with confidence and self esteem, she struggled to relate
to her peers in class and this made her shy and very withdrawn. She
was supported by School Action Plus for a learning difficulty, but
unfortunately this difficulty meant that Nicola struggled to keep
up with the standard of work required in the classroom.
Whilst on our STREET Programme Nicola's confidence and
self esteem grew but she still struggled dealing with new
situations, and still had issues sitting quietly in class and would
often shout out and be inappropriate.
In June 2009 Nicola transferred onto our Entry to
Employment Course and it was there that her future really began to
take shape. She started the course with a friend she had met on the
STREET Programme and even when her friend dropped out after just a
few weeks, Nicola continued to attend, slowly but surely meeting
new people and new situations. Nicola's attitude changed
drastically, she became a very focused individual and a fantastic
mentor who supported the new learners joining the group.
By November 2009 Nicola had found herself a placement at
Rossmore Playgroup where she attended for 8 hours a week. In this
time the staff conducted regular reviews with the manager who
commented that Nicola had excellent attendance, was adaptable,
often came in extra, interacted well with the children and was a
good team player.