Life is at its best when you have good people to share it with. At Wilmslow Youth, young people can make life-long connections and friendships that become a vital part of their support network.

Layla came to Wilmslow Youth aged 11 after finding it hard to make friends in school. She felt lonely and anxious around others.

She was an amazing artist with a passion for drawing characters from her favourite show. We asked her to come along to one of our workshops and share her talent with other young people, so she helped one of our team to run an art session. Six years on, Layla is now best friends with one of the young people she met in that workshop. They still visit us and talk about their incredible art.

When life hits hardest, sometimes we don’t need fixing, we just need someone to care. Daniel came to see us at Wilmslow Youth after he unexpectedly lost his Mum.

Daniel told his counsellor that he felt like he had nowhere to go to speak about her and share how he felt. By having a space to be heard, and to be listened to with compassion and care, he was able to start the long journey of processing his grief. He found it helpful to share stories of all the wonderful things his Mum had done in her life that made him feel proud of her.

Daniel’s Dad joined one of our parenting groups, and through that group he received the support he needed from other parents to help him continue to be an amazing Dad.

Mylo is an energetic, cheeky and outgoing 13 year old. He was always the first of his friends to try something new and throw himself into a challenge.

When he experienced an episode of depression, he suddenly found that many of the things he used to do without thinking, now started feeling scary and impossible. We sometimes think that resilience is just about our internal ability to cope, but as in Mylo’s case, it’s also about having a scaffolding of support around us when we need it.

Thanks to Wilmslow Youth, Mylo wasn’t alone. He joined one of our wellbeing groups and found that through having the guidance of some trusted adults and the help of a group of other young people, he was able to rekindle his energetic spark.

Millie was referred to Wilmslow Youth after her teachers noticed she was struggling in class. She was showing signs of low self-esteem and would withdraw and become self-critical in large groups. She was also starting to miss time at school because she had become anxious about her lessons.

Millie began meeting with one of our mentors. They worked through her worries together and starting building her confidence as she challenged herself to face her fears.

Over a few weeks she made some amazing, courageous decisions which helped her realise how capable and strong she was. Millie told us that it made all the difference having a friendly adult who cared, listened, believed in her, and helped her to be brave.