“I thought I would never make any friends and that I was destined to be alone for my whole life — but I was wrong.”

At our 2024 North West graduation ceremony, Daniel, 14, spoke in front of an audience of over 400 people where he gave a powerful and emotional speech about how his life changed when he moved from the Middle East to the UK.  

Daniel wasn’t prepared for how different his life would be when he moved country during the pandemic, and how much it would affect his mental health.  

He said, “I came to the UK [from the United Arab Emirates] for a better education. When I came here I had no friends. I was very scared and pretty depressed. I used to be a pretty social kid before [I moved] but my grades and my social life became worse.”  

As he was in a new country and a new school, Daniel desperately wanted to make friends and find a sense of community. However, when Daniel started school, the other young people in his year picked on him.  

“I thought it was all going bad for me and that I had the worst luck in history — until I met Power2.” 

Our Power2 Rediscover programme provides young people with 1:1 practical and emotional support to help them with their wellbeing and engagement with school and learning.  

Daniel’s Programme Lead met with him once a week and helped him to navigate the bullying he was experiencing.  

She said, “When I first met Daniel, he was quite shy and didn't speak to me much. For the first two sessions he was mostly upset due to bullying, certain lessons, having little support and feeling like he isn't good enough.” 

“We spoke about bullies and the things they said to him and how that made him feel. Daniel really benefited from talking through his emotions and feelings. We changed one of Daniel’s lessons that was causing him a lot of stress and in our next session he came in with a huge smile and an extremely positive attitude.” 

“Week by week Daniel grew in confidence and he told me on many occasions how these sessions have helped him. His Head of Year said that he was enjoying his lessons more and engaging well with all aspects of school life.” 

The encouragement Daniel received throughout the programme helped him to believe in himself and recognise his worth. We suggested that Daniel could join a local youth club to meet new people and build a community. He started attending during the programme and has since made strong friendships. 

He said, “I managed to find a bit of confidence and became more social. I made a lot of friends. I thought I would never make any friends and that I was destined to be alone for my whole life — but I was wrong. I’ve got a lot of friends, some of them are even here today [in the audience].” 

The support Daniel received through Power2 Rediscover helped him to build up his confidence and overcome the bullying he was facing. Having experienced bullying first-hand, Daniel wanted to help other young people in similar situations, which is why he became an Anti-bullying Ambassador at his school. He said, “Power2 has helped me to speak out against bullies.”  

Daniel went from feeling completely alone to finding the confidence to embrace new opportunities and friendships.  

He said, “I just want to say that life never goes the way you plan it. Our flaws make us unique and my imperfections make me who I am.” 

"Thanks to Power2, I don't feel alone anymore." 

Listen to Daniel tell his story in his own words