One of our Casework team spoke to the mother of a young person Amina*, now 18, and found out she had not left her room for many months, not changing clothes, not washing herself and displaying worrying signs. The young person’s mother said she is very concerned about her mental health and is worried she may hurt herself.
One of our Youth Workers arranged to meet with Amina, she didn’t want to meet at her house as she is arguing a lot with her mum and she wanted to speak in a neutral place. She said that she has very low confidence and low self-esteem and doesn’t know what to do with her life. She said she finds it hard being at home and having to rely on her mum for everything. We spoke for a long time about the opportunities and what she would like to do in the future. She said she wants to be independent from her mum and do something that she enjoys but that she can also earn a salary from. She was going to college, which she enjoyed, but dropped out during the lockdown. She said it was the stress of the lockdown that made her feel down and worthless and the pressures at home.
We were able to refer Amina onto a 1-1 Employability programme run by JAGS Connect, they have a meeting booked in for next week to create her CV and will then have another session to start exploring and applying to apprenticeships or job opportunities related to travel and tourism. Our Youth Worker spoke to Amina this week and she was very happy and excited about the support from JAGs, hopefully this will give her the confidence to apply and start a course she wants to do and enjoys. She is also coming to our Love to Learn carer’s event, that we are running on 23rd March.
*Note: Names have been changed to ensure anonymity. Photos are illustrative.
Katherine Low Settlement is a much-loved, busy charity that has been at the heart of the community in Battersea, south-west London, since 1924.
With a few staff and a lot of volunteers, Katherine Low Settlement runs a range of its own popular community projects including educational courses and wellbeing activities. The charity supports children, young people and their families, older people, refugees and newly arrived communities of all genders, nationalities and religions.
The Katherine Low Settlement building in Battersea High Street, opened in 1924, is used for community activities and events, usually – until the arrival of Covid-19 – by over 500 people a week. Its rooms are available for hire at affordable rates.
Katherine Low Settlement is grateful for the funding received from supporters, trusts and foundations to enable the charity to continue to reduce poverty and isolation and bring Battersea together.
Aaron Barbour
Director
Katherine Low Settlement
Telephone: 020 7223 2845
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.klsettlement.org.uk
Pictures
High resolution digital images available from Katherine Low Settlement press contacts.