When we first met Annabel, she was a very timid 11 year old and extremely anxious about just attending the introductory meeting in her school. She stood out as somebody who was more concerned than excited about the opportunity, worry was all over her face and she was slightly shaky. Each time we explained another element of life on camp, Annabel and her Mum would exchange a glance. When we had finished our information session and said goodbye to the other young people, Annabel and her mother stayed in the room. They were both worried that Annabel wouldn’t be able to come to camp as she would miss home too much and would struggle to cope without Mum.
We spoke to Annabel and her mum, offering reassurance and support, encouraging both to see the chance to take part in the programme as an opportunity, rather than focusing on their anxieties about what lay in store. It became clear that Annabel had never spent any time away from home or her Mum before. Fears about the activities, about not being able to speak to Mum whenever she wanted, not knowing where she would be sleeping or what would happen if she didn’t like the food are just some examples of worries that Annabel articulated.
Whilst acknowledging these concerns, we were very honest with Annabel that taking part in the programme and coming away was likely to prove challenging for her. However, we also explained that we had seen many young people like Annabel succeed on the programme, if they were able to take the first step. We talked about the potential benefits for Annabel that she would take into her day to day life, from increased confidence to social skills, and that sometimes practicing things that at first seem too difficult can be a great way to build much needed resilience. We agreed with Annabel that she would go away and think about the programme, and we would check in with her ahead of her first day.
In addition we spent time explaining further the benefits of the programme to Annabel’s Mum. It was going to be a big step for them both.
Before Annabel’s first day with us – the Explore Day – her Programme Manager called her Mum a few times and spoke to Annabel too. It was clear she wanted to come along to the Explore Day, but she was still unsure about attending the residential camps.
Annabel came to the Explore Day and was paired with another young person from her school. She was quiet but got involved with the activities on the day, not speaking much to anyone other than her schoolmate. During the day, there was a session in which we discussed setting ourselves aims for the upcoming Mountain Camp. Annabel set her aim on her own and handed it to YAT staff. When we had a read of it, we were really encouraged by what Annabel had written, and felt it told us that deep down Annabel wanted to attend the camp. The aim was, ‘To finish camp and not feel like I have to go home’.
We had a few phone calls between the Explore Day and the start of Mountain Camp, both with Mum and Annabel. We talked through some of her specific concerns, whilst encouraging her to take control of what we were now sure she wanted to do deep down.
Annabel did decide to come along to camp, and it was fantastic to see her at the coach pickup location. She was tearful getting on the coach but bravely decided to go for it. As expected Annabel did feel homesick on her first night, but we were able to reassure her sufficiently that she was able to stick with it. Annabel felt a bit better the next morning, but her general anxiety meant that she was constantly thinking about the next challenge that would come her way, be those mealtimes, activities, or a host of other things. We worked hard to coach Annabel through these challenges and Annabel made progress, however as the evenings set in she would often talk about feeling homesick and wondering about going home. Each morning of camp YAT staff made sure to celebrate that Annabel had stayed at camp another day. Adults also took every opportunity to celebrate all the achievements Annabel was making during her activities, often facing fears such as water, heights, dirt and enclosed spaces, and battling through them to take part in all the activities.
The Programme Manager also kept in regular touch with Annabel’s Mum, to reassure her and allay her own anxieties about Annabel being away.
We worked with Annabel to help her think about her own challenges and set herself a couple more aims for camp. She decided on these two aims;
‘To have more belief in myself’ and ‘To say I can instead of I can’t’.
These aims really show that Annabel understood her own personal challenges and had a real determination to push herself.
Toward the end of camp Annabel told us she feels more confident about ‘going out of my comfort zone’ and said she would like to work towards, ‘getting even more belief in myself’.
We are really happy with the start Annabel has made to her Youth Adventure Trust journey. She has overcome her usual way of thinking about the world, one informed by anxiety, threat, and limitations, and begun to move to a mindset of self-empowerment and a belief that she can change her outlook on life to enable her to feel more capable of overcoming challenges in the future.
Annabel’s Programme Manager will continue this work with Annabel over the next two academic years. There will likely be more challenges for Annabel as the programme continues. The difference now is that Annabel already has many YAT experiences to draw on. Time in which she controlled her anxieties, faced multiple fears, worked with new people, experienced a different lifestyle in a completely different environment away from the security of home and parents. These experiences will no doubt enable Annabel to face the next challenge that comes her way with more self-belief than she has perhaps ever previously felt. We can’t wait to see what she is capable of over the coming years with YAT.