Sandra
Sandra was referred to our Coaching for Communities programme because she had been excluded from her school. She was quite shy and not getting on with her mum.
When we went to visit Sandra’s mother to get her permission for Sandra to participate on the programme and attend the 5-day intensive residential she told us Sandra was ‘out of control’ and ‘unlikely to get back into school or get any GCSE’s’.
Sandra was very clear about wanting to participate on the programme, but was very unsure about talking about her life in front of other young people who she didn’t know and certainly didn’t trust.
As the residential drew closer we were unsure about whether Sandra would actually turn up or indeed that she really wanted her life to be different as the team had experienced problems in contacting her. However, Sandra did turn up on the morning of departure and was ready to participate.
The next five days were very intense and emotional. Sandra found the courage to share her story and talk about how her life had been. She talked about being the youngest of the family and having to do things for herself, of not having anyone to talk to at home and how sometimes she smoked drugs to forget her problems. She didn’t get on with her teachers and was often rude and cheeky in class and spent most of her school day out of the classroom.
Sandra was very clear about how she wanted her life to change. She wanted a better relationship with her mum and to get back into school. Unclear of how to make this happen and doubting that it could happen; Sandra was paired with a Committed Partner who would support her in reaching her goals during the next nine months.
Once back home, however, Sandra’s life just picked up where it had left off. She spent a lot of time avoiding her Committed Partner and was not attending school. Things began to change though during month four of the programme when Sandra finally realised that only she could make things different in her life and that she was responsible for this happening or not.
This was an important moment, a breakthrough moment. From that point onwards Sandra accepted the support of her Committed Partner and began to study outside of school. Once her exclusion was complete she went back to school with a renewed commitment to sit her GCSE’s.
The relationship with her mum was still a challenge, but had improved and she was no longer smoking drugs.
Sandra sat her GCSE’s that year and passed them. She was proud of her achievements in her exams and also in being able to ask for and accept support.
