Lucas (21) was borderline agoraphobic and hadn’t been able to leave the house on his own, if at all, for almost 2 years.

One of our Transition to Work Youth Coaches started working with Lucas in March and after talking over the phone for a few appointments, we were able to build the trust and comfortability Lucas needed to participate in one of our virtual Esher House workshop series.

“A lot of the things we spoke about at Escher House was common knowledge, but stuff that you never really think about. And as we were talking about things, we went into a lot more depth and gave me a whole new mindset about things.”

“At least during low times, it made me look more into myself and made me more motivated to do things.”

The Esher House series is an important element of our holistic support as they focus on shifting mindsets and self-empowerment for young people over a 5-week period. 

By the end of the 5-weeks, we asked Lucas if he would be comfortable joining us in-person for the last Esher workshop. Lucas was extremely nervous, but he took the courageous step in agreeing to attend – IN-PERSON. 

It was the first time in almost 2 years that Lucas left the house on his own!

After Lucas had finished the Esher House series, we started meeting up face-to-face more regularly – slowly, but surely seeing Lucas regain confidence and psychological safety in leaving his house.

About a month in, we worked with Lucas to set a huge goal, and one that was based on his own interests and goals – to enrol into a qualification.

Anything technology and IT-related has been one of Lucas’ passions for a very long time but he never believed that enrolling into school and obtaining a qualification was an option (or even possible) for him.

So, it was only natural for us to support him enrolling into a multimedia technology qualification at Kangan Institute.

“Youth Projects really helped me out a lot – they were very supportive. And now, I’m learning and earning a qualification that will get me a job that I will enjoy.”

Lucas starts his new course in July and although pretty nervous, he is more excited to be doing something that he genuinely enjoys and continues to work on overcoming his agoraphobia.

 

You can help us change the lives of young people just like Lucas by donating today!