What was the challenge?

Bashir had just moved to a new school, but he was finding it difficult. He was struggling to make new friends. Bashir had recently been diagnosed with a stammer and other young people often made fun of him. His confidence was very low, so he was starting to dis-engage from education.

What did Brathay do?

Bashir was referred to the VRU programme. That’s where he met Indy, a youth worker at Brathay. Over six weeks, they explored topics such as hobbies and interests, anger and gangs through fun, interactive, thought provoking sessions.

Indy ensured the other young people in the group respected Bashir when he was talking. They listened to each other’s views, worked together on tasks and presented their work to one another.

What was the impact?

As Bashir developed friendships with the others in the group, he grew in confidence. It was clear he just wanted to be treated the same as his peers and be able to use his voice at school.

It was the first time he had received consistent support for his speech, which helped him come out of his shell and feel comfortable to express himself in the group.

Indy said, “Bashir showed great determination to not let anything hold him back. We saw a dramatic increase in confidence over the six weeks”

This program has made a difference to me because I feel a lot better, happier and calmer and I feel proud of myself

Bashir

*Names have been changed.