Abbie’s Story
Please note that the name of this young person has been changed to protect their identity.
" I was more of a recluse before meeting Bridges. I lacked confidence and courage to talk to people about my needs and would often choose others rather than to prioritise myself.
Bridges helped and supported my frame of mind, often pushing me to a much more grounded and confident person. Bridges made me realise that I don't need to be scared or go into my inner self for hiding.”
-Abbie
Abbie was referred by Enable as she needed help to get ready to find a job. Abbie was interested in hairdressing, especially the creative side of it, and wanted to move on to further education or an apprenticeship within this field.
Abbie was struggling with social isolation and had no friends.
At their first meeting, Kelly met with Abbie at Bridges Project and they discussed her general life, hopes and aspirations. She talked about her interest in hairdressing and that she loved using her creativity to create characters, express herself and be colourful.
During their next session, Abbie and Kelly applied for a Level 1 SVQT in Hairdressing and Barbering course at Edinburgh College. They worked on how to establish skills, what information to put on the application and what to highlight to stand out from other applicants.
In the weeks that followed, Abbie and Kelly worked on interview skills and on polishing her CV. They talked about social confidence and how to manage and best cope with social anxiety and feelings of isolation.
Abbie was invited to attend an interview for the college course. However, she felt nervous about going and started feeling she was not good enough ahead of the interview.
Abbie and Kelly met several times before her interview and Kelly agreed to support Abbie by taking her to the college and being there after the session. Abbie said this helped her feel less anxious about the interview.
Abbie attended the interview. She felt good afterwards and was positive about how it had gone. In the end, she was successful in securing a place on the course.
The self-assessments Abbie has completed on her progress show that she has become more self-aware and confident. She scored herself 62 out of 100 in skills at the start of her support journey. This increased to 81 out of 100 when she did her next assessment.
As she has become more confident, Abbie has been taking part in several other activities at Bridges Project. She participated in litter picks in the local community, which allowed her to meet others and improve her social skills. She also came in to speak to the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland during a visit she did to the charity.
Abbie has now joined Bridges Project’s work experience programme, where she has met other young people with similar interests and hobbies. She hopes to soon secure a work experience placement through this programme.