What young people say about us

The most important change for me this year has been getting a job and M13 really helped me with that, especially the interview. It’s given me something to do, I really enjoy it and I’m earning legit money. I’ve learned new cooking skills and got my qualification in Food Hygiene. My time management has got better because of the job and I’m much more confident talking with my colleagues at work and customers.

What I like about M13 is that they always want the best for people that come to the youth clubs and you know you can talk to someone here about like anything you need to talk about. You can tell when someone wants the best for you, and that’s what they want at M13, because they know where we’re coming from and they know the background of the community.

M13 has definitely helped me whenever there’s a problem in my life, for example the CV thing, getting a job and my existential crisis that happened...when I felt like I couldn’t turn to anyone, I came here [M13 young women’s group] AND I could turn to you [workers] and the other people here. 

M13 are always available to speak to all the time, they listen to us, as well as being very funny.

Workers have helped me a lot, their way of being like, there is a way out, actually talking with me and being like, we can set things out for you to take a step out from that trap place that I was in. I feel a lot better now.

I don’t really need a therapist because I can speak to M13 workers.

I feel like it was the right person at the right time and because I was here and she [psychotherapist] was here, I felt like I didn’t have to force myself to open up and get really vulnerable… I think it actually helped me a lot. The way that it happened was really natural, just because it wasn’t planned where it was like ‘I have to meet this person and I have to get mentally ready’. It helped me in general, even if the sessions are not that long, if I’m late. It has helped me. She’s [Psychotherapist] given me a lot of tips, with anxiety and stuff like when I’m feeling panicked and I’m out of my body. I’ve learnt to calm myself and ground myself. I feel like there’s a routine to my life now.

I like how you can literally do whatever you want, you don’t have to do anything here. It’s not like you are told what to do, or forced to do stuff. It’s a place to chill out, and that’s important, especially if there’s other aspects of your life where you can’t do that.

At Girls’ Group there’s a sense of family, like my family is so busy…and they have their own thing. I’m not as much as included in like family stuff and I feel like when I come to the group there’s always something going on, even if its’ like cooking together, I don’t get that with my family so it’s like a nice kind of small family feeling.

Girls’ group chatting together and sharing about our week definitely does help me; I feel like just talking is a good way to calm down a lot. And also going on trips and eating together and just doing group activities, it’s like really nice things to do that you don’t really do anywhere else. 

M13, you know, it’s like a family. I came here when I was 15, I’m now 21, so I’ve been here for a while now. Obviously you make friends here for life. Also the youth workers are like friends also, they’re big mentors in your life, they help you through anything you want help with, volunteering, CV-writing, preparing you for life, you know even things like driving and stuff like that, they’ll help you any way they can. All the groups throughout M13 enjoy and love it and that’s why we come back, because it helps us prepare for the future and enjoy our youth as well