The Warnborough Foundation ran another successful cohort for its Compass programme, called ‘All About You’ based on funding received from the Kent Community Foundation and The Lawson Endowment for Kent.
This programme received participant referrals from other partners including The Education People and the Amber Foundation. We worked with a range of participants who had their own challenges, finding learning in a more formal environment difficult. Many sessions were conducted 1-2-1 and in more relaxed environments such as public libraries, cafés, parks, and farms close to where the participants lived.
Personal Stories of Change (with Photos of those who signed consent)
Louis
Louis did not achieve GCSEs. Since COVID, his mum had been trying to find help to support him gain confidence to get into college and did not know where to turn. He preferred in-person sessions in an outside space, so we used a local garden centre to facilitate his course. He identified his goals as writing his first CV and getting better social skills. He created his first word-processed CV and used it to guide course applications and when speaking in interviews. He does not like big groups, however when needing to engage in a second interview for college, instead of running out of the building he faced the fear, did the interview and said, “he did alright’. Louis completed his course and starts a 2-year, level 2 motor vehicle course in September with an option to progress into year-3.
His mum (pictured with him) says, “I am delighted, I now feel I have time for myself now that Louis is sorted, I have found a job and I have never been happier”.
Charlie
Identified his goals as being able to build up more confidence, to get out of the house more often and to build a CV. Charlie had poor sleeping patterns and lacked structure. He said he wanted to do his course in Zoom and doing this weekly has helped Charlie get more structure in his life. Charlie achieved good GCSE grades at school however lost direction and his confidence to find out what he could do, as a direct outcome of becoming isolated due to Covid and lockdowns.
From doing the course he has started to walk to the shops on his own, is getting out of his bedroom and into the garden and has created his first CV. He socialises with more people online and in-person and starts a level 3 college course in business studies in September.
Sam
Sam was home-schooled by his mum prior to being NEET. He identified his goals as increasing motivation to do more college work and to be healthier as his lack of structure was impacting a poor sleeping pattern and this in turn was affecting his health and well-being.
Sam enjoys learning through in-person sessions and feels best in outside spaces. His course was facilitated in his local garden centre in the morning because as Sam said, “this will help me go to sleep earlier”. He has been coached in developing motivation ability and has self-discovered his strengths and qualities. Sam has been shown how to access the National Careers Service and how to use it for finding courses near him and for finding job categories that interest him.
From this Sam has discovered he would like to work with animals and to study courses in animal care using distance learning.
The last coaching session, at Sam’s request, included his mum because he wanted to show her what he had achieved in the course and what he wanted to do next. The outcome of this is that Sam communicated to his Mum what he wanted to do and helped his mum to understand how best to help him to achieve this.
Sam is busy researching courses in animal care that he can study from home and is taking more regular exercise around his farm to build up his stamina and well-being.
Sam says, “I really enjoy the talks we have in this course”.
Mum says, “Thank you so much for talking with me and for all the lovely reassuring comments you have made that I’m doing the right thing for Sam, that really helps.
Seb
Seb identified his goals as building confidence and developing interview skills. Seb enjoys in-person sessions, so his course was facilitated in a learning space where he resides.
During the course, Seb refreshed his current CV to help him remember what he has achieved recently and the skills he has gained from these. He enjoys researching using the computer and found a job he was interested in (working in a Lego store as an assistant). We used the job advert as a guide for Seb to further update his CV. He was then coached in responding to questions he may be asked at an interview for this job. When asked if he would like his interview session to be recorded, he initially said no. Then ten minutes later he asked if it could be recorded.
The recording is stored on Seb’s WhatsApp, and he says, “I enjoy looking at this as it helps me remember how confident I can be at an interview”. Seb is busy applying for jobs and was confident enough to attend a Warnborough Graduation event to receive his certificate and to talk about his job ambition on the stage in front of a large audience!
Emily
Identified her goals as being better at maths, being more confident when meeting new people and being good at something.
During the course, she passed her driving theory, started driving lessons, identified her preferred method for gaining a math qualification that she is due to start in September with the help of her support worker and says, “This course has helped me see the skills I do have”.
Cameshia
Cameshia joined the course because she had lost her confidence from being 26 years away from the workplace. Her goals were to find routes into teaching as a mature student and to construct a CV.
She enjoys learning through Zoom and her sessions have helped her to re-discover everything she achieved 26 years ago, to write an updated CV, to apply for work as a teaching assistant and to secure employment as a teaching assistant.
She says she feels inspired to achieve her next goal which is to find a new home for her and her family nearer to where she works, because she feels she will be in this career for the foreseeable future and career progression is very important to her because it will help her to support her family.