Be the Change, Coastal West Sussex launch event in February 2016
Katy
The thing that stuck out to me the most is what people actually go through and that they actually have the confidence to stand up and talk about it.
Mia
You saw different stories of people and how it’s affected them in their lives.
Karen Chamberlain
The most powerful thing was this moment when we were actually being introduced to the program, and just being there and listening to some of the young people talking and being part of that and then sharing it with us was actually very special and very powerful.
Ollie
I think it’s a good way to show what you think without being judged.
Katy
We need to focus more instead of just walking about and thinking about ourselves and actually thinking about others around us.
Ollie
After we spoke about it a lot of us did feel better about ourselves.
Na’im
I think today the most powerful part is being able to work with other people we’re not familiar with and work as a team and find out thing about each other to boost our self-esteem. You are able to be and sit with people who won’t judge you for who you are. It’s a time where you can really express yourself. Today with the business people, you’ve been able to understand more from people who have had experience in life already.
Mia
It was quite nerve-racking at first but I’ve enjoyed it and I think it’s helped build my self-confidence a lot more. You sort of have to build confidence when you’re in a situation like that.
Ollie
I think they’ve helped me think about my future a bit more, like I need to improve myself more in school and like my behavior and stuff.
The business volunteers helped us decide what we wanted to do and made us express our feelings.
Clare Walker
The day’s been quite amazing. I’ve been a quiet observer. What an opportunity to come to something like this! You see the young people actually getting up and talking about their lives. It’s a lot of food for thought and very moving.
Riley
I really like the group work because it helped me build teamwork skills and got me to interact with new people and do new things.
Na’im
Today has been a bit of an eye opener for me. It’s shown me that I’m not alone with the things I’ve experienced but at the same time everyone is equal.
Mia
It’s given me a lot more hope for the future. It just shows that no matter where you are now you can become whatever you want to be if you put your mind to it.
Katy
It okay to be confident. It’s okay to believe in yourself.
Mia: I think I’m much more confident with myself because of the confidence that I’ve built.
