I'd always felt that I'd been born into the wrong body.  I didn't identify as female, and this made high school a really difficult place for me.  I didn't fit in anywhere, and when my mum and dad split up, I had to move house, and the  world was terrifying.  I couldn't see things ever getting better, I blamed myself and I hated myself. Things were probably at their worse when I couldn't leave the house.  I'd been battered a couple of times by some girls and I was scared all of the time. When my mum took me along to meet the Y.I. Team, I only went cause I knew how worried she was.  But I didn't think it would help me. I'd been to see a lot of people about my mental health and who I was as a person, and no-one listened or understood.  It didn't feel that way at Youth Interventions.  I can't say exactly why, but I just felt ....valued.  It never felt like I was being told what I should think or feel and it always felt that the things we did were partly my idea!  They were dead good at signposting me to other organisations as well.  It was a really helpful time of my life, and I'm glad that I met them.

I started working  with Paige* when she was in second year.  There was social work involvement with her family, and she lived with her dad but saw her mum at the weekend.  There were multiple risk factors and she was a very vulnerable young person but she tried her best and came to school as much as she could.  You could tell that she wanted to do better and make something of herself, but she lived in very difficult circumstances and began to use drugs and then deal them before third year was finished. I'd been following Youth Interventions on social media and I dropped them a message and asked them if they'd be willing to give Paige some support.  There was multi-agency involvement but she refused point blank to talk to anyone except me about drugs and I felt out of my depth.  This was a very positive referral experience for both myself and Paige.  It really was as simple as a message, followed by a call, and an appointment was made for me to take Paige in to meet the team.  She attended every single week for a year.  Paige has left school now, and I sometimes think of her and worry about how she is managing life.  But I know that working with Youth Interventions was very good for her and that she became aware of her high risk taking behaviours and the impact that drugs and alcohol had on her life.

I was about 12 when I started drinking with my pals at the weekend.  We started smoking weed when I was 13 and before I was 14 I was into mandy and coke when we could afford it. When you're that age it's just a laugh and banter.  My mum was going off her nut, but I was only doing what everyone did.  And I liked how it made me feel.  I had a good laugh with the troops. When I was 15 I got expelled from school.  A teacher asked me to leave the class but I forgot to take my bag.  When I went to go back in she wouldn't let me,  and I went mental.   I shouted and swore and all that, and called her names and kicked the door.  Didn't mean it but when another teacher grabbed me,  I threw my arm back and punched him in the face. I didn't realise it at the time, but I suppose things were just going from bad to worse and I started to feel really down.  My mum told me I was depressed and she said it was because I was taking too many drugs.  I did smoke weed every day, but it's a herb and I honestly didn't think it was doing me any harm.  It actually stopped my brain from going at 100 miles per hour. Cut to 19 and I'm battering coke and e and booze three or four nights out of seven.  My girlfriend split up with me, and my mum flung me out.  If everyone is telling you the same thing, maybe it's time to listen.  I felt embarrassed asking for help though. First time was the worse, I was mortified.  But a cup of tea later and a few laughs and I relaxed and decided to give it a go. It was the best move I ever made.  I'm not going to lie, I still take a drink and have a  few recreationals from time to time, but it's manageable.  I know my limits and I know where this will take me if I don't catch it.

I was in absolute despair when I phoned Youth Interventions.  My wee girl who had always been so happy and full of life had changed so much and I didn't know why.  We tried to cheer her up, and I hoped that things would get better.  She knew we loved her and she was safe with us.  But the day that I found her in the bathroom with blood all over her because she'd cut her arms, I knew that I needed to get some help.  My sister told me about Youth Interventions because she had seen them on Facebook.  I made the call and it was one of the best things I have ever done.  They were so easy to talk to, and I really felt that they understood and cared.  My daughter went for 9 sessions.  She still gets caught up in big emotions sometimes and sometimes they get the better of her - but she's 14 and going through a lot of changes.  The main thing is that when she's going through stuff now, she feels that she can handle it.

Definitely worthwhile, came in hopeless and in general feeling alone and trapped. I came to youth interventions as I didn’t know what had happened and didn’t understand why parts of my life had started to break down. I lost motivation during studying and couldn’t see myself reaching where I always wanted to get to, lost sight of my dreams until I started youth interventions. The staff at youth interventions really helped me see that if I wanted to do something, that anything is possible if I put my mind to it. They had helped me deal with situation I couldn’t comprehend and made me realise that there’s a reason behind everything. Coming out of youth interventions I’ve realised that I can take time for myself without feeling guilty, that I’m allowed to set boundaries and focus on myself and that if I focus on one thing at a time, everything will get done. From feeling alone, trapped and lost I now feel refreshed and can see clearer and overall have a better outlook on life and that life is to be enjoyed. I have improved my mental state and found myself again.