Riley came to YG after engaging in anti-social behaviour.

Riley came to YG after becoming involved in anti-social behaviour in the community, particularly getting involved in fights. Riley had also been the victim of bullying for many years which had a huge impact on his confidence and meant that Riley regularly didn’t attend school.

Riley was given a mentor to work with for six months. They would meet each week at school and Riley led the way on planning what he wanted to achieve during their time together. This was great as Riley didn’t want to be told what to do but could feel empowered by deciding what he wanted to gain from mentoring, which was to improve his mental health and look into his aspirations for the future. Having a mentor that Riley could speak openly with, an adult who he could trust, made him feel happier. Riley liked the relaxed feeling of their sessions, being able to sit and chat while playing cards.

Counselling was not something Riley had thought about accessing before, but he and his mentor were able to explore this more and Riley decided he wanted to be referred for counselling with YG. This was a huge step for Riley to be open to exploring his mental health and past experiences at a deeper level. Riley was also able to work with his mentor to make an application to college having missed this support at school due to his low attendance.

Riley has finished his mentoring feeling a lot happier with a lot more confidence in himself and his future. “Overall 10/10 for my mentoring experience.” Riley is very much looking forward to the next chapter in his life as a college student.