Lucy entered Creative Youth Initiatives at the age of 19 suffering from depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. Lucy was difficult to engage with as she was too anxious and shy to answer questions let alone make eye contact with people. She requested that she be allowed to eat her meals at different times to the rest of the students as she didn’t like people watching her eat.
Lucy expressed that she had three main goals to achieve at Creative Youth Initiatives, they included making friends, getting a boyfriend and moving out of home. Lucy reported that she was very unhappy at home because they tried to control every aspect of her life and she felt suffocated.
Lucy soon cemented her place in the course by dazzling all with her piano playing skills. She was soon called upon by other students to play on their songs and lend her beautiful voice.
As the weeks progressed, it was clear that Lucy was coming out of her shell. She went out of her way to say goodbye to staff and students and she started eating her meals with the other students. She also started seeing some of the students socially outside course times.
One day Lucy said to a fellow student that he had changed her life. When prompted as to how this had happened she replied that she was "now living life on the edge". When pressed to explain what she meant by this, Lucy replied that she had eaten her morning tea on a crowded train to Creative Youth Initiatives.
Lucy had trouble looking for supported accommodation that would allow her to bring her cat. Before she completed the SOTS course, Lucy had signed the lease for a house that she and her friends would share. Her cat was allowed to come.
Towards the end of the Sounds Of The Street course and after a week of ‘ear to ear’ smiles, Lucy confessed to having a boyfriend that she had met a couple of weeks ago. She was elated at this and seemed very happy to discuss this with the other students.
Having completed numerous songs whilst at Creative Youth Initiatives, Lucy enrolled in the ARTWORKS! course successfully.
Today as a result of the positive guidance, encouragement and intervention that Lucy received and was partner to, she has achieved the following milestones:
• Noticeable improvement in her self esteem and confidence;
• Noticeable reduction in her anxiety levels;
• Excellent rapport built with Creative Youth Initiatives staff and students;
• Developed her musical talents and produced numerous songs;
• Attained her original goals:
- Made a number of friends within the course;
- Moved into independent accommodation with her friends;
- Entered into a romantic relationship; and
• Successfully enrolled in the CYI ARTWORKS! course.