“I’ve learnt just what I am capable of when I push myself”

Laura is 20 from Tameside. Before coming onto the Prince’s Trust TEAM Programme Laura had been in university completing her further education studies but had to leave due to health reasons. Laura suffers with a health condition called Primary Chronic Pain which means she has over reactive nerves causing pain where there isn’t an injury.

Laura had to undergo a lot of physiotherapy and focus on her mental health to improve the way her body reacts to stress. This had an impact on her mental health as she wasn’t where she wanted to be as she had to step away from her studies to deal with all of these issues. Life with chronic pain is hard and it effects everyday life for Laura.

Laura also faced a lot of anxieties at the time which hindered her from doing the things she wanted to do. She has talked about having lots of anxiety when it came to completing job interviews and because of this she never had the confidence to get a job or even go through with submitting an application. She had a lot of anxiety around using the phone and going to places that she had never been to before.

The Journey So Far

Laura found out about the Prince’s Trust TEAM Programme through finding a leaflet in Tameside Library and emailed Lauren, the Team Leader, to get signed up. Having doubts about returning to university, she felt like she had failed by having to postpone her studies and that she wasn’t “academic” enough to complete her degree, Laura signed up to Prince’s Trust to support her to get her self-confidence back as well as helping to give her a bit of direction if she decided not to go back to university.

Whilst on the Programme Laura pushed herself out of her comfort zone and into situations that she didn’t think she’d be able to manage due to her anxiety and chronic pain such as getting involved in the activity week and supporting her teammates to overcome fears. She excelled in her role as Project Manager during the Community Project, leading her team to transform the garden area of Youth Adventure Tameside which, before the Team did any work on it, was a sea of brambles, making it unsafe and unusable for the children.

Laura has said that completing the Prince’s Trust TEAM Programme has supported her to build her confidence around applying for jobs, completing application forms and interviews. Laura has also taken the opportunity to make phone calls through the programme and this has improved her confidence in this area too. Laura feels that the Prince’s Trust has helped massively improve her confidence in her abilities and herself.

“The Prince’s Trust has shown me just what I am capable of when I push myself. I have learnt that having anxiety before an interview or going back to uni just means that I want it, not that it is going to go wrong. The Prince’s Trust was able to provide a safe environment for me to grow, make mistake and learn new things. It has also allowed me to make new friends, some I am still in contact with even now a month after the programme.”

Next Steps

Laura has now returned to University, studying History at Huddersfield University. She feels more comfortable being back at uni and she feels like she wouldn’t feel this way if she hadn’t done Prince’s Trust first.

“Now after doing PT, my confidence in my abilities has massively improved and I know that I can get a good degree as long as I put in the work. Furthermore, the PT has taught me that asking for help is okay and admitting you’re struggling isn’t a sign of weakness but actually strength. I truly would recommend the programme to people, who are academic and have qualifications but just don’t have the confidence to branch into their chosen career or don’t know what they want to do yet as a career.”

Laura is enjoying her university experience more and feels better equipped to cope and manage her chronic pain, stress and anxiety.

“Life with chronic pain is hard. If effects everyday of my life. I have always thought that I would never be able to accomplish anything and be unemployed due to my pain. This is because of flare ups and mobility issues that I get. However, I now know that isn’t the case and I can accomplish anything I want, as the Prince’s Trust is quite physically demanding but I was able to complete every part of the programme.”

Laura has also gained temporary employment at the university and is applying to be a student ambassador too.