Earlier this year, Talia used to be a very timid young person, who lacked self-confidence and did not feel confident in her work.
Originally Talia would only take part in our activities via Zoom, if her mother was sitting beside her (off-camera), to support her and ask any questions on her behalf. She also did not have the confidence to attend physical sessions at the youth zone and felt very apprehensive at the thought of this.
Recognising her lack of confidence, youth workers encouraged Talia to contribute her thoughts on discussions via the chat function in zoom. They also called her on the phone a couple of times a week to build that relationship and increase her confidence when speaking to them. Talia enjoyed the weekly phone calls and using the chat function, and after a couple of weeks, began to talk to the youth workers instead.
Talia has become significantly more independent and confident, learning to take a lot more pride in her work and efforts. As a result, she started to attend other sessions, such as Quiz Whizz and Create & Connect sessions; without her mother being present. In October Talia made the decision to start attending physical sessions at the Youth Zone.
Since attending physical sessions Talia has settled in amazingly, she has naturally taken on a supportive mentoring role in the arts area making new young people feel welcome to the Youth Zone.
Her increase in confidence led her to show other young people her drawings, sparking a weekly competition. To nurture her newly found confidence and empower her further, the youth workers encouraged her to host her own 15-minute drawing competition, which she did quite well in.
