Jack’s
Story

Before working with Inspire and The Youth Employment Service found himself stuck in a vicious cycle made worse by the struggles from the pandemic. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic Jack was struggling with his mental health and had disengaged from his education at the time. This moving into the pandemic left Jack feeling very low and struggling to leave the house he said “It was very suffocating. It was the same thing again and again”. He felt as if everything was getting worse but at the same time staying the same.

Jack was introduced to Inspire and the Youth Employment Service by the Early Help Team and met with Simon at Felixstowe Library with his mum. In this first meeting, Jack and Simon were able to discuss the Support that the Youth Employment Service could offer. As well as talking about the Team Programme because Simon could see that this would be beneficial for Jack. It was at this initial meeting that Jack decided to give the Team Programme a go. He said, “It felt like a door literally opened to something else life could hold.”

Completing the Team Programme for Jack was a whole new world full of good and different. Not only did it allow him to meet new people, but it allowed him to get into a regular routine while visiting new places which were outside of the four walls of his own home. He has said that this “felt like a whole new world”. By doing Team and breaking all these barriers Jack was also able to build on his social skills and improve his confidence.

After completing the Team Programme Jack continued working with Simon but quickly decided that he wanted to get back into education. He will now be starting at Suffolk New College doing English, Maths, and a Level 1 Digital Skills course. Once he has completed these he will be looking to get into his passion of linguistics.