During the COVID pandemic, Ozain had been out of school for a year whilst he waited to enrol at a new school. This, combined with extended lockdowns, meant he began to feel isolated, frustrated and bored. Ozain really wanted to find something that could fill his time and give him an opportunity to meet new people.
Through his friends, he heard about the Highfields Centre and the range of activities available there, including the YES Media Project. Ozain’s friends encouraged him to visit the centre so he could get out of the house, get involved in activities and start meeting others. Ozain began visiting the centre regularly and was introduced to Fatimah, his keyworker. Together, they spoke about his circumstances and what options were available to him. Ozain explained that he had started feeling isolated and thought attending the centre would be a good way to meet people his own age with similar interests.
Fatimah felt that the YES Media Project would be a good fit for Ozain as he had a passion for music, rapping and writing his own songs. After speaking with his mum, Ozain agreed that this would be the best route to take as it was so closely linked to his own personal interests. On the YES Media Project, Ozain had the opportunity to develop his skills around video production, sound engineering and much more.
Ozain’s end goal is to complete his GCSE’s at a school that is able to support him. He feels that by joining YES, he has learnt transferable skills that will help him to achieve this goal. With the support of Fatimah, he has developed his confidence and ability to speak about his fears and concerns. So far, Ozain is grateful for joining YES because it’s given him the opportunity to get out and take part in face-to-face activities*, meet new people and pursue his interests in music.
When asked what he’d say to others considering joining the YES Project, Ozain said:
“I would recommend the YES Project to my friends as it has really helped me to build my confidence and be more creative. Highfields Centre [that deliver the YES Media Project] is really chill and all the workers and people that come here are super calm. I’m happy I came across the project and this centre.”
Currently, Ozain is looking forward to working with other YES delivery partners after he has completed the YES Media Project.
*Any face-to-face activities taking place as part of the YES Project during the COVID pandemic have gone ahead in a COVID secure environment and always in accordance to Government guidance where permitted to do so.