Teddy’s
Story

Teddy moved to Suffolk about two years ago. He felt after moving that he had nobody around him apart from his family and their 2 cats.

He has suffered with his mental health since school. Due to this it meant that he barley attended year 11 just being able to scrape through his GCSE’s. This also meant that he also found he was too anxious to start college once he had left school.

After leaving school Teddy found himself at home doing nothing. He would only leave the house to go to the shops. He had signed himself up to a Life skills course however this didn’t go to plan, and he was unable to start due to no fault of his own.

To start his journey Teddy met with Both Jenni the Youth Development Tutor for the Princes Trust Team Programme and with Tony the Youth Employment Coach from the Youth Employment Service. The first meeting was difficult as Teddy is a selective mute and would only communicate through post it notes. For the first meeting both Tony and Jenni made it their mission to make sure Teddy felt comfortable even if he didn’t want to speak at the time.

After a few meetings with Jenni and Tony. Teddy decided to sign up for the team programme, where he completed his level 1. While being on the Team Programme Teddy also began attending Social Space. This is where those who are looking for a comfortable and inviting place to unwind and have fun with friends. The drop-in sessions offer a safe and inclusive environment for all young people, including those who identify as LGBTQIA+. Doing the level 1 programme allowed Teddy to make new friends and, he came out of his shell he felt more confident. By the end of the programme Teddy was able to deliver a speech to a room full of people which was a huge step in his journey

After completing the Level one Programme Teddy began to attend Tony Tuesdays which were wellbeing workshops where he was able to meet with new people and continue progressing like he had done on the Team Programme. By doing this Teddy decided that it would be good for him to the level 2 team programme which he is still currently completing now.

Teddys top 3 things about his time with Team Programme and the Youth Employment Service were making friends, going on the Team residential as he says it was good to be away in the fresh air away from everything. His third highlight was being able to come to a place that has a good environment and to be able to use the facilities such as the kitchen.

Teddy has now gained employment working on the checkouts at Tesco’s. He has said he looks forward to starting this roll to gain new experiences.