Dropping out of school and facing a chaotic home life led Callum to seek help from Young Gloucestershire.

Dropping out of school and facing a chaotic home life led Callum to seek help from Young Gloucestershire. Now, he’s smiling and ready to pursue his future head-on.

“I dropped out of college because the course was way too hard for me, and I felt like an outsider. The other students already had their groups of friends, and I wasn’t part of them. To be honest, I didn’t have many friends at school either. My friends ditched me in Year 10, and after that, I just didn’t want to go to school. I’d walk around on my own all day. I left school with only two GCSEs.

“I’ve always struggled with my mental health and self-esteem. Living at home with my mum and five siblings was chaotic. One of my brothers was taken into care, which was tough on all of us.

“Before I dropped out of college, they referred me to Young Gloucestershire (YG). I started working with a youth worker who met me once a week. We talked about everything and anything. She helped me build my confidence, think about how I feel about myself, and discuss relationships. She also got me onto YG’s Team programme. That was an amazing experience. For once, I met people who understood me. Everyone had stuff going on in their lives, so we just got each other. I made some great friends.

“I feel so much better about myself now. I’m more confident and I have people around me that I can rely on. My mum has noticed a real change in me. It feels great to laugh and feel like I fit in. YG also helped me think about what I want to do next. I’m going back to college to get my GCSE in English, and then I want a job where I can help people the way they helped me.”