Millie was experiencing lots of difficult changes in her life. Read how her mentor helped her to get her confidence back.

“When I was 16 we moved house and that meant I had to move school. They decided to keep me back a year. I lost all my friends as they moved to college without me. I have mild Autism and have experienced lots of bullying over the years and have struggled to keep friends.

“On top of all this, my boyfriend at the time was going through some really difficult stuff with his family. He ended up moving into our house, it was just supposed to be while we were on holiday but his situation got so bad that he couldn’t go back. It was really intense. Neither of us were ready. We struggled to find space from each other and it often ended in arguments.

“I’d met with the school counsellor before and tried another phone service but it was only when I got to talk to YG that I felt like someone really bothered to take the time to get to know me. I met with my mentor once a week for six months. She would come to my school and I would get time out to talk about the things that were really bothering me. She helped me look at life from a different perspective. She helped build up my confidence and showed me how to speak up against things that I didn’t think were right. Before,

“I had always felt like people were judging me but she helped me to see things differently. She showed me that I can push passed situations and challenge myself.

“My boyfriend moved out and we broke up. With the help of my mentor I have a better idea of what a healthy relationship looks like and what I want for myself. I have made new friends at work and started a new relationship. I feel much better about myself and I am looking forward to going to college and then I have plans to stay with my current employer and move my way up to management.

“I was so nervous when I started working with YG but my mentor and I got on so well, after a short time I was wondering why I had been nervous in the first place.”