The journey to building confidence

Luca became socially isolated due to Covid-19 lockdowns, he lacked confidence and self-belief. He was struggling with a chaotic home life, mental health and the stresses of being NEET, (not in employment, education or training).

Knowing what steps to take to get back into employment, education or training is difficult. Luca was referred to Creative Youth Network by social services. He didn’t know what he could manage after becoming isolated.

We began supporting Luca, through our Step To Future program, this made it possible for us to see what support he needed.

The West Of England Works engagement worker spoke with Luca and his family to understand his barriers into education, employment or training. They booked in more sessions to get to know each other better. The youth worker planned confidence building strategies into the sessions to empower Luca.

I felt isolated and alone, I didn’t know where to turn to. I was so anxious around people I couldn’t hold eye-contact with anyone. My West Of England Works, engagement worker supported me throughout my journey. My engagement worker listened to my interests and helped me build confidence.

It took a while to get to know my engagement worker, but once we built a relationship, I felt like I could talk to them about all of my worries. I felt less anxious every time I attended a session. My engagement worker has helped me build skills to become a more confident person.

Luca has now been signed up for long term support with the West of England Works project which would allow them to continue working together to overcome his barriers. Luca will also get support with mental health services and to take step by step actions towards Education, Employment or Training.

We are so proud of Luca, and the results of his hard work so far.

Support offered by West of England Works, an exciting partnership which aims to help unemployed and economically inactive people in the West of England find employment. The project is part of the Building Better Opportunities programme, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the European Social Fund.

Help young people like Luca reach their potential:

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What we do

Creative Youth Network helps young people, no matter what their background or circumstances, to reach their own potential.
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We exist to empower young people to reach their own potential and live a fulfilling life. The people who work for us make that happen. You could become part of an inspiring team who make a real difference to the 5000+ young people that we work with every year.
Contact us

Get in touch with us to find out more about our youth centres, arts programmes, or services. Creative Youth Network: 0117 9477948
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Creative Youth Network is a registered charity based in Bristol, in the South West of England. We are youth workers, professional artists, freelancers, volunteers and campaigners. We help all young people to reach their potential and live fulfilling lives, by building secure, positive relationships with them based on the unique needs of each person.
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