Kyle moved to Bristol in 2020 just before Covid-19, this combined with social anxiety led him to become very socially isolated with little no confidence to leave the house. He has a lot going on at home and left school at an early age so has been NEET for many years.

 

After working with a youth worker at CYN Kyle was referred to West of England Works to help with thinking about adult life and planning for the future. We have been spending sessions working on identifying personal values and interests as a way to help with potential career direction.

 

Alongside this we've been trying different activities outside of Kyle's comfort zone where he feels he would benefit from support including; going to a cafe, buying groceries, going out for walks in his local area, and learning how to take the bus.

 

A key barrier Kyle identified in his life is his lack of social group, ideally, one that understands the needs of young people with autism – so together we have researched local groups and found a suitable one he would like to attend each week to learn independence skills and make friends. We have also been looking at different online courses to enable Kyle to gain his Functional Skills for English and Maths qualifications outside of a traditional classroom environment.

 

Kyle is receiving long-term support from WoEW to allow us to keep working towards overcoming the barriers he's identified in his life. At the same time, we are covering job searching skills for the future like writing CVs and learning how to apply for jobs

 

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.