Kyle’s Story: Reaching New Heights
Kyle* is a young person who went through uncertainty and emotional distress that made it difficult for him to adjust to changes in his life. Through positive experiences, new opportunities and supportive relationships, Kyle has grown in confidence, developed independence and become more engaged in building a brighter future.
Completed six King's Trust units and achieved AQA qualifications
Developed greater independence through cooking and everyday life skills
Built confidence through new challenges such as climbing and mountain biking
Kyle's Experience
When Kyle arrived at Dewis, he found it difficult to settle in and often spoke about wanting to return home. The changes happening in his life regarding his care going forward felt overwhelming, and there were times when he struggled to cope with the uncertainty around him.
As things became more challenging, Kyle found it difficult to engage with routines and make positive decisions. During this time, he experienced a prolonged missing episode and was later found at his mother's home before returning safely to Dewis. This highlighted just how unsettled he was feeling and why his time at Dewis was crucial to his life ahead.
Kyle's Support
Over time, Kyle began to take part in activities that helped him build confidence and discover what he was capable of. Climbing became one of those opportunities. What started as something unfamiliar gradually became a challenge he looked forward to, helping him build confidence with every achievement. Mountain biking gave him another outlet, allowing him to channel his energy in a positive way while learning new skills and pushing himself outside of his comfort zone.
Kyle also discovered an interest in cooking. Through preparing meals and learning everyday skills, he began to take ownership of daily tasks and developed greater independence. These small successes helped him recognise his strengths and build confidence in his ability to do things for himself.
Alongside this, Kyle started to reconnect with learning. He completed six units through The King's Trust programme and took part in AQA learning opportunities. Each achievement gave him something to work towards and showed the progress he was making.
The team around Kyle focused on helping him access opportunities that matched his interests and gave him the chance to succeed. Rather than focusing on the challenges he had faced, the emphasis was on helping him recognise his strengths, try new things and celebrate his achievements.
As time went on, Kyle began to develop positive relationships with the team around him. Having people who encouraged him, listened to him and believed in him helped him feel more settled and willing to engage with the opportunities available to him.
Looking Ahead
Today, Kyle is more engaged in day-to-day life and continues to build on the progress he has made. He has developed new skills, discovered interests he enjoys and become more confident in taking on new challenges.
This is only the beginning of Kyle’s journey, but the progress he has made so far reflects his resilience, determination and growing belief in his own abilities. Every new experience and achievement continue to help him move towards a future filled with greater confidence, independence and opportunity.