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(For confidentiality reasons, the participant in this Success Project case study will be referred to by the initial A)
For this Success Project case study, our Youth Co-Creation Lead Fran Slater spoke to a young man called A and Brian, his worker at an organisation called Ceracycloan. Ceracycloan work with young people who are referred into them for various reasons, such as low levels of engagement with school. They combine bike mechanics, employment skills, and restorative practice to support young people to progress.
A started as a student at Ceracycloan, and has been on an amazing journey. He is now working there but, most importantly, through the work he has done there, he is now feeling good about himself and feeling more hopeful for the future. A perfect example of what we were looking for with the Success Project.
In the video above, A tells us how supporting other young people at Ceracyloan has helped his wellbeing. And you can hear more about his story in the interview below.
Fran: Tell me a bit about how you first got involved with Ceracycloan?
A: I wasn’t really engaging in school or anything – I wasn’t doing anything. I was just sitting in my room all day. The school I was at was shut down because it was inadequate, the staff were inconsistent, and I wasn’t engaging. I was saying what I didn’t like about it, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. So, I stopped going; like a protest. I was put onto homeschooling, teachers would come to me. But it wasn’t working, so I stopped engaging with that.
And Andy, one of the workers in my care home, kept saying that I should try Ceracycloan and I just kept saying that I couldn’t be bothered. And then one day Andy bought me here to get a bike fixed.
Brian: I remember you coming in with Andy, and your eyes were all over the place looking at all the bikes. And then you started asking me about the bikes. And eventually, you said ‘what do you do here anyway?’
A: Yeah, and I have always been interested in bikes throughout my life so that was interesting. I used to tinker about with them a lot and I felt like I could fix them even if I couldn’t, I always wanted to figure out how they worked. I always used to ride bikes a lot as a kid, that was one of my favourite things to do.
And I thought, I’m not really doing much anyway – so I may as well do something with my week and do something productive.
Fran: So what did you think about Ceracycloan at first, then? Before you really got to know it?
A: I thought it was alright at first, I thought it was pretty chilled. I didn’t think much more than that at first.
Brian: From my point of view, I kind of immediately picked up that A didn’t trust many people and probably for good reasons. So, it was clear to me that we needed to build trust with A, and the way we could do that was to show him that we aren’t just doing a job here and we actually care.
A: I think that’s true, yeah. I don’t know if I didn’t trust people, but I do think it takes me time to warm up to people and it might seem like I don’t trust them. But you’ve got to be wary of everyone, to be honest. You’ve got to make sure that you’re safe with people and that they care about you.
Fran: What made you realise, then, that this was somewhere you did want to be and somewhere you felt you could be successful?
A: Well, I really enjoyed doing the mechanics, fixing bikes. And over time it felt like I was expanding on my skills and it was something I really enjoyed doing. Then I was getting more opportunities to get involved in things and do more work with them. I felt like I had more value. That’s all built up over time.
And I’ve got really good relationships with all the people here, too. I get along with most of the people.
Brian: It was when you started to laugh and joke with people, that was when the ice was cracking. And now there’s no ice.
I think A has missed a couple of stages, there, though – which is easy to do when it’s question time like this.
See, he learnt his mechanics and that made him more confident as a person. But then we moved onto employment skills, and he really did take an interest in the business side of things and why things work the way they do. We started spending half a day on the bikes, and half a day on the business skills – and he has really progressed in both areas.
I would say his knowledge and understanding has grown significantly. And I think once we started talking about how much things cost, how to sell them, and how taxes work – and how to write about bikes in a way that sells them to customers. You could just see that A was really taking it all in and thinking about it.
A: I just find all the business side really interesting, it’s really good to have an insight into how things run and all that kind of thing. It feels like something that might be part of my future.
Brian: And now, off the back of all this, he’s gone back to school to do his Maths and English. Which is massive.
Fran: It’s almost like all that stuff that school tries to teach you, you’ve been inspired to pick them up in a different way – through seeing the value of maths and English in a business.
Brian: I think part of it is that we can teach practical learns in a way that suits them, which schools can’t always do.
Fran: So, A, what would you say are the main things that have changed for you since you started coming here?
A: I’d say my problem solving is a lot better. I think with mechanics, you can get a lot of tedious bits of work too, so it has really improved my patience. And I think since I moved on from being a student here and started working here, it has improved how I am with people – with some of the students I support, you have to do a bit of digging to get them engaged.
Fran: Tell me more about that, then. You are now supporting other young people to come through at Ceracycloan. How does that feel for you?
A: Yeah, it feels good to be honest. I was in the same boat as them when I started, so it’s a nice feeling when I get to teach them something that I found difficult at first, but I can do now.
I was a bit hesitant about doing it at first, because some of the kids are challenging when they first come here. But I’m glad I did it. Now that I am working with kids it has really helped my confidence and that feels really good.
Fran: That’s really impressive, A – what a big change for you. So how would you say being here has improved your wellbeing overall?
A: Honestly, I think just having a purpose and a reason to get out the house has really helped improve my wellbeing. It’s good to be learning things, too. It’s good for my mental health, I’d say.
And I am seeing people every day, I am engaging with people – which is a big change. I think it has improved a bit of everything for me.
Brian: I think it can be hard for people to see how much has changed for them, sometimes. So I’ll give a bit of feedback to.
The care home rang me one day and they said that A has really changed. They said that instead of coming home and demanding that he wants something, he’ll sit and discuss it and negotiate. He’ll come with good reasons, he’ll have costed it out, he’ll have really thought about what he’s asking for.
And that’s exactly how we want him to be. We talk to him now, and it’s easy – it’s like talking to another adult.
He’s more astute, he’s more alert, he is much more tuned in and he is much more mature. He’s come out of his shell and he’s starting to blossom.
Fran: And do you know what, while you’re talking, it’s making me think about another #BeeWell question we ask about whether young people feel hope and optimism for the future. With everything Brian has said there, it feels like you must feel more hopeful about what is to come…
A: Yeah, I do. It’s changed in many ways. I have a lot more skills now, a lot more options, and I know I will always have that now. It’s made me think more about what I want to do, what my hopes are – I am not too set on any one thing just yet, but it has made me feel that there are options that weren’t there before.
I wouldn’t have sat down and talked about myself as ‘successful’ before.
Fran: That’s fantastic to hear, A. Well done. And thanks so much for talking to us for this project.
A: No worries at all.
