John finished his time in prison and is now regularly involved with the Youth Offending Service. In September 2013, John started his programme with No Limits Berkshire for two days a week. When I first met John he came across as a quiet young man who was very polite and smiley. John had been out of education for a long time and was keen to start his programme as soon as possible. John and I clicked straight away, and I quickly learnt about the things that interested him, and the best ways to interact with him.
John’s programme includes a variety of activities, such as sports, and developing skills including reading and writing which are hoped to enable him to attend college independently in September 2014. John wants to be a builder and run his own business as a career and therefore chose to apply for a Carpentry Apprenticeship. A key activity we do is to just spend time together, talking and catching up. John sometimes cannot manage his full activity programme, but we often meet for a coffee or lunch and talk over his week, and anything he is worried about.
John’s personal development has improved over the weeks. His confidence has grown and he is able to express his feelings more. He is also able to control his frustrations better and has stopped being involved in criminal activity. John is also attending his probation meetings on a regular basis. He enjoys sports and has built a fantastic and strong relationship with myself.
Recently John has been missing his days with No Limits Berkshire due to fact that he is anxious about his pending court case. Some days he does not even go back to his family home, instead staying out with his friends, avoiding his worries.
One day I arrived at the family home to find John standing outside ready to start his support. He was in a good mood and was pleased to see me. During the morning we talked about his absence and the reasons for this. John explained why and how he had felt over the past week. John agreed that he wanted to do shorter days instead of his full programme and build it up over a period of time. We talked about the fact that I would keep coming back, even if John wasn’t quite ready for a full support day, and would be there to provide emotional support for John, and to help him work towards his goals when he was ready.
John accepted this and since then has been attending his shorter support days with me. I think this shows that there is trust within this relationship. Even when other things are going wrong, if you’ve got that basic relationship with someone, you can still facilitate well and support them towards positive outcomes.
The name of young man has been changed in this story.
Christopher Page
Community Learning Facilitator
No Limits, Berkshire