As a not-for-profit business, 100% of our profits are donated to our parent charity, Newground Together. This month, we look at Charlotte’s Story, who, after enrolling in our charities mentoring program, was able to return to school.
Charlotte and her mother had recently moved to Calderdale, an area which is covered by our charity, after fleeing domestic violence. Charlotte’s family were already being supported by our charity when our team became aware that Charlotte was struggling with her social anxiety. Having not attended school for 2 years, she was isolated and never left the family home. Charlotte’s mum and Family Support Worker stressed the importance of her establishing a positive relationship with a trusted adult. Everyone agreed that having a youth worker to help Charlotte address her concerns and anxieties would be beneficial.
During the initial discussion, Charlotte’s mum expressed significant concern about her daughter’s social anxiety, fearing that Charlotte might be unwilling to leave her room to talk to us. We reassured her that we wouldn’t compel Charlotte to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with and assured her that we would make efforts to facilitate a smooth transition into the support. Fortunately, after meeting Amii Norcliffe, NGT Senior Sustainable Communities Officer, Charlotte was receptive to receiving the assistance.
Charlotte rejected having any anxieties or concerns, explaining that she had no desire to make new friends. She mentioned that she preferred spending time in her bedroom and was reluctant to go back to school because it felt too large for her.
After spending some time with Amii, Charlotte acknowledged the significance of attending school and expressed a willingness to consider a smaller educational environment. Simultaneously, she agreed to venture out of the house to enroll in the NGT Engage Mentoring program at our facility in Pellon, Halifax. Charlotte shared her interest in developing life skills, such as cooking and maintaining a healthy diet, and expressed a desire to have someone to talk to about her feelings.
After some one-on-one sessions with Amii at the Hub at Pellon and ‘Walk & Talks’ in the community, Charlotte’s confidence soon started building up both at school and when meeting new people, whilst Charlotte found this challenging at the time and was visibly anxious about it all, we took things at her pace to ensure she felt safe & supported.
We worked closely with Charlotte to suss out her worries and anxieties, explore positive coping techniques, and encourage her to spend time outside the home. Amii tapped into Charlotte’s passion for cooking to develop practical life skills, including financial know-how, budgeting, and planning. This process also involved Charlotte’s first trip to the supermarket to pick up ingredients.
Amii said:
“Charlotte has grown in confidence since she started working with us and is now like a different person. Charlotte is getting an education, has made new friends and is thinking about her future in a positive way. I am so happy that me and the NGT Youth Team have been able to make a difference to a young person’s life.”
Charlotte’s mum said:
“Charlotte has successfully returned to school for the first time in 2 years and is getting the education she needs. She has been able to open up about her feelings, leave the house and develop more positive coping techniques. Charlotte has even made a new friend who lives local to her who she can meet up with outside of school! I am so proud of her, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of Amii and everyone at the Hub at Pellon. I am now getting my life back on track, too, and trying to focus on more family time and improve my mental health. Thank you, Newground Together, for giving me my daughter back!”