Argyle Community Trust (ACT) are one of the valued partners on Yep! supporting young people with their next steps.

One of these is a young man who left school early due to anxiety, he struggles to leave the house on his own.  He was lonely but had no interest in socialising. He had tried other projects for support but found there was no consistency, nothing to engage him enough to break away from his gaming habits to make progress.  He did not have any qualifications and had no goals for the future.  Working with Caitlin from ACT he received the understanding, kindness and tailored support he needed.

Initial aims were to gain some qualifications; Maths and English Functional Skills Level 2.  Together they worked on that using an online platform to revise his knowledge and get ready for the exams.  He loves animals, so Caitlin brings along her dog Woody to their sessions, a calming presence during study and after the online learning they take Woody for a run on the beach, teaching him tricks!  This also helps with his anxiety around leaving the house.

Yep! with ACT has made a huge difference to him, most noticeably to his confidence.  Consistency of meetings, working together to navigate a small steps approach to dealing with his anxiety in getting out of the house and to appointments is working.

‘Back in March the young person engaged in very little conversation with anyone, 4 months down the line, he can’t wait to tell me about his week and share stories about all the other dogs he has met (obviously none as cute as Woody)’ Caitlin

His mum feels incredibly proud, he has had a very tough few years and she struggled to find support that was the ‘right fit’ for him.

‘Then Caitlin came along and worked her magic, I see a different future for him than the one I had six months ago.  Since March 2024 the progress has been outstanding, both mentally and physically, he has thrived with the online learning’ mum