Adam* is 15 year-old boy, who was first referred to PACE’s mentoring project in July 2015. When he first joined the project, he had not attended school for three years and was not engaging with other mainstream services.

It was quite evident that Adam lacked self-confidence and had extreme anxieties.  He also found it difficult to socially interact with the public. For example, when out and about travelling to activities, he lacked the confidence to ask for directions or information, although he didn’t know why.

Adam began to meet with his 1:1 keyworker twice a week. Once they had built up a good rapport and formed a trusting relationship, they were able to address the issues which were affecting Adam’s daily life, and worked on building his self-confidence and lessening some of his anxieties. 

Adam worked a lot on his communication skills. He found it a challenge, but after a few months he had gained the confidence to ask for directions and interact with the public without any attacks of anxiety.

Given his new-found confidence, we enrolled him in a gym and worked with him to create a healthy eating plan, helping him to become fitter and increasing his awareness of healthy eating. We also engaged him in several cooking sessions, during which he would interact positively with other PACE workers and young people.

Adam has really enjoyed the sessions with his 1:1 worker, so much so that he was upset when there was a threat of the sessions coming to an end.

“I felt gutted that the sessions ended ’cause I enjoyed them. [My keyworker] is cool and he has helped me a lot.”  

Adam’s keyworker has noticed a significant improvement in his confidence and engagement since he first joined the mentoring project:

“I believe that engaging in the mentoring project has given Adam a new outlook on his life. He has become much more engaged over time, and there has been a huge improvement in his self-esteem and self-confidence. He has even gained the confidence to enrol in some other projects. This is a significant step forward, because when he first joined PACE’s mentoring project, it was the only project he had engaged in. If he continues with his ‘give it go attitude’, he will be a positive young person in his local community” 

 

*Names have been changed to respect anonymity