Lucy’s story

To help mark national Mental Health Awareness Week (13 – 19 May 2024) we’re shining the light on some of our young people who have completed our Grow programmes.

Before enrolling onto Grow, Lucy ‘had no idea where she was going with her life’. She’s praised Grow for their amazing support, understanding and incredible nurture to help her gain confidence and combat her struggles with anxiety.

Lucy shares her story…

“Before starting with Grow, I had no idea where I was going with my life. I had no support from anywhere other than my family. I didn’t know what I was going to do for a job or even how to get a job. I didn’t have much hope for my future.”

Lucy talks about Grow’s eight-week development programme and about how it has helped shape her future. She said:

“I remember the first day of Grow perfectly. It was very rare that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I remember being there with a family member as I was so anxious. I remember having to stand outside for a minute because I was too anxious to go in.

“After I’d got through the first few moments of seeing everyone and started to calm down. I could tell everyone understood what was going on, and I felt welcomed immediately.

“I somehow knew that it was Grow that was going to help me. They’ve given me that extra support that I needed. After that it was easier for me to put my trust in them to help me through that.”

She speaks about her struggles with mental health and anxiety:

“I have spent the whole of my life living with anxiety. I didn’t used to go out or do anything. I was too afraid to do anything. My family have said that the changes since doing Grow to now have been massive and they’re all so proud of me for it.”

Following her time with Grow, Lucy secured employment at Shorts Accountants in Sheffield…

“When I first started, I was an apprentice receptionist, and now my role is senior administrator which carries quite a lot of responsibility.

“When I think about the best part of work, for me it’s the paycheck at the end of the month. Simply because I hadn’t worked before my role at Shorts, I’d never had money before. So, to be able to get that money at the end of the month and feel like I can contribute to my family and buy things for myself is amazing.

“I also enjoy pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Work has definitely helped me as it pushes me to be better and improve on the skills that I was lacking in. The job forces me to be social and although I don’t always enjoy it at the time, I always feel proud that I’ve pushed myself.”

Lucy shares her advice to someone thinking about taking part in the Grow programme.
“My advice is to – do it! It’s helped me massively. If you just put yourself out there and try it – it will make a huge difference to you.

“In one of my last sessions with Grow I got the call from Shorts to say I’d got the job! That was one of the best experiences of my life!

“To be able to share with everyone who had helped me was so nice. I think everyone could see how much work and effort I’d put into the programme, so everyone was really happy for me. It was amazing!”

Five years on, Lucy is still happily working at Shorts and shares more on her incredible journey since Grow:

“I’m almost a different person to when I started Grow. Being in a stable job has allowed me to develop more as a person.”

“I do still struggle with my mental health but the job gives me the chance to really self-reflect and work on any areas of myself that I want to improve.

“I’m currently planning a solo holiday to a ‘digital detox’ cabin to get away from everything for a few days which I never would have been able to do by myself a few years ago.”

At Grow we use a therapeutic coaching approach that focuses on the soft skills that are a key ingredient to thriving in life and at work, such as working well with others, handling conflict and managing personal motivation.

Many of the young people we work with, like Lucy have experienced a lack of self-confidence and have little or no experience of work.
The programme has been developed to build confidence in each young person. We start gently and cover the basics and then each week we build on the previous weeks sessions to extend and stretch the young person’s comfort zone!

Inspired by Lucy’s story?

Find out more about our Grow Programme and how it can help you or someone you know.