In school, I’ve been a lot more confident in myself. If it weren’t for Teens and Toddlers I wouldn’t have come up here [on stage] now
Like many children, Isabella, 14, spent much of the summer term absent from school.
Anxiety, low self-esteem and a lack of confidence were all things Isabella struggled with before taking part in Teens and Toddlers. Isabella was paired with a younger nursery child called Max who was also displaying shy and withdrawn behaviour.
During their first Teens and Toddlers session, Isabella and Max started to develop a strong bond. Max’s teacher said that Max spoke more in the hour he spent with Isabella than he had in the whole time he’d attended the nursery!
Over the weeks, the bond Isabella and Max created helped them both grow in confidence. In the evenings after school, Isabella would spend time creating her own resources to bring to the sessions the following week.
Teachers working closely with Isabella noticed a change in her over the weeks.
Her confidence has increased recently since starting the programme. She is becoming more confident in speaking to teachers especially. Isabella’s attendance has improved and she has more positive behaviour points since starting the programme
Last year, Isabella was nominated for Young Mentor of the Year at our 2023 graduation ceremony in the North West and spoke about her experience of the programme. She said: “In school, I’ve been a lot more confident in myself. It’s helped me get better attendance. If it weren’t for Teens and Toddlers I wouldn’t have come up here [on stage] now.”
Since graduating from the programme, Isabella has stayed in touch with Power2. She is now an active member of our Youth Network and has helped to co-create our new Power2 Energise programme which launches later this year.
At our 2024 graduation ceremony in the North West, Isabella led a stall to tell people all about the benefits of joining the Youth Network. She then went on to speak about her experience of taking part in Teens and Toddlers in front of a room of over 400 people
She said:
I really like that I’m helping to design something that will help people struggling with different things.
You never know why someone acts the way they do and to be able to help them without even knowing them has been really interesting to me.
