When Rosie first came to YMCA, she engaged well with our support workers however after quickly becoming involved with a young man, and moving out of our care to live with him, she self-referred back to us a couple of months later after the unhealthy relationship broke down.

Living with her abusive, drug-addict parents back in Spain had taken its toll massively on Rosie’s mental health. Our support workers took the time and put in the effort to continuously make her feel comfortable, and soon she started to feel she was in a safe place where she could grow and begin looking towards a positive future. With her newfound confidence, and after participating in cooking lessons with YMCA, Rosie began volunteering at our Community Meals, picking the food in the allotment and even cooking the meals.

Rosie is now living independently in her own flat that YMCA helped secure for her, where she is putting into practice the life skills she learned with YMCA. She is now working full-time at a local soft play and is on track for a promotion to supervisor level. Our staff are so proud of all she has accomplished and still keep in touch to this day.

Rosie has come a long way since she first arrived at YMCA; she now presents as a confident young woman with aspirations and an actual belief in her own potential.

*At Rosie’s request, we have used an actor in the photograph.