Our Positive Transitions service supported young person Hannah to grow more confident and make new friends at school.
For some young people, adjusting to life at a new school can be challenging. It means making new friends, adjusting to a new schedule, and learning lots of new things.
That’s where our Positive Transitions service comes in. Since 2016, we’ve been helping children, young people and families across Edinburgh and the Lothians with the transition from primary to secondary school. The support provided by our Youth & Family Coordinators and VIPs (volunteers, interns and placement students) gives children and young people the space to be themselves and the opportunity to show the world how awesome they are, easing the stress at this time in their lives.
Hannah began receiving support in primary 7 as she struggled with confidence and didn’t have many friends she could talk to in school. She also struggled with her current routine and was worried about how she would cope with certain subjects in secondary school. Hannah also has hyperacusis and autism, affecting her experiences of some environments and activities.
One doodle at a time
After being referred to Positive Transitions, our Youth & Family Coordinator put a plan in place for Hannah to help her adjust to life at a new school, and open up to new people.
The sessions started slowly as Hannah adjusted to this new environment, providing a quiet and safe space within school. As the two began getting to know each other they discovered a shared love of arts and crafts and shared their doodles which slowly grew more and more elaborate.
During sessions Hannah produced a series of watercolour paintings, depicting a world she had created. Our Youth & Family Coordinator created an art book that collated these paintings, allowing Hannah to have a record of some of her first pieces of art.
As support comes to an end, we’re so happy that we have been able to make a difference to Hannah’s day-to-day life, and can’t wait to see her art flourish. Hannah’s mum has been very appreciative of the support we’ve been able to provide, noting that Hannah has been sharing some of her paintings at home and chatting more about friends in school.