Hannah, participant of our Get Ahead programme, shares with us how the programme helped her.
I was stuck in the house, I wasn’t doing anything & had no motivation. I needed help with confidence, learning to be me again. I wanted to find a route into work that was at my pace.
I didn’t think I had a future, I thought I was going to be stuck doing nothing.
I was working with the Community Mental Health team and I was referred to Get Ahead by my Support Worker.
My hopes were to find a future & get back into work. Or even to do something such as volunteering. I didn’t have any fears. I am always nervous about meeting someone new, so I was anxious about meeting Aimee. Our first few meetings were with my Support Worker too as this made me feel more comfortable.
It was interesting finding out what the project was all about and what Aimee could offer me to move forward. I felt quite comfortable with Aimee from the first meeting. I felt we built up a good rapport straight away.
We have always met in Costa which I feel comfortable with, but Aimee assured me that if I ever didn’t she’d be happy to meet somewhere else.
Aimee helped me develop my CV and looked into volunteering options. Aimee arranged a meeting with one of the accommodation services in Changing Lives - we discussed how I could support them through volunteering.
I had a mental health setback while I was working with Aimee. She was very supportive. Gave me the space I needed with no pressure to meet but also checked in on me to see how I was doing. Once I was feeling well enough and we met up again, Aimee helped me to find and enrol on an online course. She then organised for me to get a laptop so I didn’t have to work through the course using workbooks. This also means I will be able to complete further courses after this one.
After the first few meetings, I started to realise I could have a future. There were viable options for me. Even if this meant doing courses or volunteering, I could be doing something while preparing myself for work. I didn’t need to rush myself. It’s all about baby steps.
I found that my confidence started to increase a lot. I found my anxiety also started to lessen.
If I hadn’t had my set back, I feel I would be a lot further on than I am. However, I do think my mentality has changed. Previously I would have felt there was no point trying again and would have given up but this time I knew I could pick my self up again and have enrolled on this course & still have a plan in place, even if it is just a bit further away than it was originally. I feel excited about my future. I have realised I can go back to work and choose my own path. I don’t have to do what I have done before. I have options now.
I would like to be able to show my children what I have achieved and what they can achieve even if they come up against obstacles.
I’m really looking forward to this course, not only learning something new but also achieving a new qualification. I am looking forward to having a focus and a bit of stability. I hope to complete another course after this one and then get back into work.
If you could benefit from the support of our Employment Coaches, find out more about the Get Ahead programme.
