What’s
Your Story?
YourStory Challenge, Inspire, Support
About YourStory
‘YourStory is good with helping you to
mature. They let you make your own
decisions It’s not like school where they tell you what to do.’
YourStory Student
YourStory was set up by Adrian Homes in 2003 to
address underachievement
and anti-social behaviour amongst young people through sports and
mentoring. We started with one person, working with four boys, in one
school
in Brixton; we now have a core staff team with a wide range of skills
and
experience, supported by experts in different fields. We provide intensive
support on a one-ton- one basis to up to 20 students a year across London
and
the South East, and engage with up to 500 young people a year through
group
work.
We work with young people of all ages and abilities,
to challenge, inspire and support them to
achieve their full potential. We work with them in a holistic way to change
the way they see
themselves and change the way they beave. We combine academic and vocational
courses with
one-to-one
mentoring and support –
all tailored to meet the needs of the individual.
We specialise in working with young people who are disengaged - from education,
from family and from society. We’ve been particularly successful
with pupils who’ve been excluded from school or are in danger of
being excluded, helping them to develop new skills and make progress in
their lives.
We also work with young offenders and those at risk of offending, applying
the same principles and the same values.
Our young people are really no different from the young people you now.
Some of them are gifted and talented, other are having problems at school;
some have been in trouble with police; and some have been in prison. What
they have in common is that they lack confidence; they lack self-respect;
and they lack role models they can relate to. They’re facing difficulties
that are holding them back, they’re full of uncertainty and they
see little or no future for themselves.
‘Everyone has a story to tell but the fear of connecting means that
many of the
most important stories are never heard. Were here to help young people
connect with themselves and with others so that they can tell their story,
build
their confidence and create a positive future for themselves.
Adrian
Jones, Founder and CEO
What we do
Mentor
Personal mentoring underpins everything e do. Each
young person is assigned a mentor who works with them throughout their
time with us – supporting, challenging and inspiring them to achieve
their best. Our mentors act as role models, drawing on their own broad
experience to inform their work.
Engage
We start engaging with each of our young people.
We listen to them to understand what’s holding them back, we find
out what they need and what they hope for, then we show them what they
could achieve.
Develop
We work with young people and their families to
create a tailored programme, combining personal development, vocational
and academic courses in different proportions according to their needs,
abilities and aspirations. We offer practical, hands-on experience in
their chosen field to develop their skills and deliver concrete results.
Progress
We support our young people to progress in life
by:
- Encouraging them to apply to college and supporting them through the application process
- Organising work experience in their chosen field
- Helping them complete job applications and prepare for interview
- Securing apprenticeships on their behalf
- Enabling them to develop the skills that are attractive to employers
Our approach
Based on the positive results we’ve achieved
with young people over several years, we now have a tried and tested approach.
I've really enjoyed doing carpentry. I'd never tired it before and it was fun.
YourStory Student
The way we work
We place our young people at the centre of what
we do, looking at all aspects of their development:
- We build their skills and confidence
- We build their motivation
- We help them build a vision of a positive future
We set targets in all areas and continually monitor and review progress
in consultation with our
students so that their learning remained meaningful, targeted and achievable.
They take
responsibility for their own development, giving us feedback on what we’re
doing so that we can
adjust their programmes accordingly.
And we work with their parents too, we help them get involved with their
children; we help them to
be proud of their children’s achievements; and we give them a chance
to do things differently.
The
difference we make
The work we do makes a real difference, not only to how our young people
feel about themselves
and their future, but also in terms of their engagement and their achievements
– at school, at work and at home.
This includes:
- Improvements in attendance at school
- Sitting and passing exams
- Securing a place at college
- Getting a job or apprenticeship
- Returning to family life
Our programmes
We run a wide range of programmes which we package
together in different ways according to the needs of each student, including:
Mentoring
One-to- one support for each young person through
their time with us.
Study skills
Helps young people enhance their skills so they
can manage full time education and get back into learning.
Attendance
Tackles attendance at school, at probation dn at
work by addressing the barriers that stand in the
way.
ASDAN Awards
A portfolio-based programme of personal development
and achievement including personal finance,sport and fitness, health,
safety and community involvement.
Employability
Helps young people prepare for the workplace and
understand what employers will be looking for
from them.
Education
A broad and balanced curriculum of academic and
vocational learning:
- Our
academic programme concentrates on building confidence in the core areas
of English,
maths, ICT and citizenship - Our
vocational programme offers a wide range of options including: cooking,
sport and
healthy lifestyles; art, textiles and ethical fashion; media; and carpentry.
Award in Sports Leadership
Develops leadership skills through sport, by focusing
on presentation, preparation and Innovative
thinking.
We
also offer a programme for groups of young people and adults, whether
in school, in work or in the community:
The Big Q Choices Programme
Develops participants’ ability to think through
issues, articulate their opinions and form their own
conclusions by debating current issues such as knife crime, teenage pregnancy
and drugs; family pressure, peer pressure and alcohol; work/life balance,
money and stress.
Our Team
Why choose YourStory?
Engagement
We engage, develop and progress our young people
to change the way they see themselves and
change the way they behave.
Mentoring
We work with young people on a ne-to- one basis,
creating individual programmes that are tailored to their needs, abilities
and aspirations.
Passion
We're passionate about working with young people
to help them achieve their potential.
Experience
We draw on our experience of working with young
people and their families, and our knowledge of wider developments in
the field to keep our programmes inspiring, engaging and fresh.
Professionalism
Were a vibrant, professional and talented team with
a wide variety of experience, so we can math
each young person with the right mentor and deliver engaging and varied
programmes.
Responsiveness
We constantly develop our approach in response to
the needs of our young people and look for new ways of heling them succeed.
Flexibility
Were a small, flexible and effective team with a
history of achieving real outcomes for the benefit of our young people
their families and their communities.
Our success stories
Student
A
A was disruptive in school, had behaviour issues
with teachers and became angry very quickly. She missed a lot of school
as a result.
YourStory helped by educating her in a small class and assigned her a
mentor to help focus her
career direction. She had an interest in childcare which she explored
with her mentor.
Improvements in her literacy and interpersonal skills meant she was able
to present herself
confidently. Jane left YourStory to take up work experience in a nursery.
Student
B
B found it difficult to concentrate at school. He
was disruptive and talked a lot in class to avoid doing any work. S, he
was referred to YourStory.
We identified that he found it hard to read and write and lacked the confidence
needed to do the
work that was being set. His mentor helped him develop his communication
skills and nurtured his love of music. Romario took part in our catering
programme and quickly realised that cooking was what he wanted to do.
This was where his talents lay, and he really enjoyed the hands-on work.
B left YourStory to take up a full-time, paid catering apprenticeship
and now hopes to have a career in the food industry.
Student C
C had been expelled from school for assaulting a
teacher. He had a low attention span and was very disruptive. He also
had issues with crime and was on a tag order.
YourStory worked with him to address his anger problems and coached him
to change his behaviour.
The smaller class size helped him to focus more and the vocational and
sports programmes provided a routine. C left with a Sports Leaders Award
and a range of training credits – all important for his future career
in sports and fitness.
Student D
D was referred to us by the Youth Offending team
and had issues with gang violence and theft. He had struggled with his
behaviour and was often in trouble with the law. He lacked self-discipline
and was drawn into problematic situations.
We assigned him a mentor who worked closely with him, encouraging his
to challenge his own choices and identify the negative image on his future.
His decision-making and behaviour improved – and so did his relationship
with his family and home environment. Jimi took part in various vocational
and sports programmes where he truly excelled. His dream was to work in
the IT industry. After applying himself with dedication, he secured a
place in a college to do an IT Technician National Diploma.
What’s YOUR Story?
020 7793 9797
Info@yourstory.org.uk
YourStory Ltd, Lilian Baylis Old School, Lollard Street, SE11 6PY
www.yourstory.org.uk
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steven@ConsultStevenWarren.co.uk
or telephone:
020 7198 2994
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