Inspiring stories

Poppy’s Story

Hala’s Story

Katie’s Story

Prior to Shine I wasn’t in a great place. I wasn’t happy in myself and mentally I was struggling.  I was very stressed out with school and my mum. I’d just started at a new school in September and although I’d come with friends from my previous school we’d drifted apart over lockdown.  I found out about Shine on the day of the first session.  Mum rang me at breaktime to tell me about it and asked if I wanted to go. I knew I needed something to support me so I agreed and turned up at the first session the same day!

 I remember that we had lots of discussions about ways to look after your mental health during the Shine course. One session that particularly sticks in my mind was when we watched some advertisements and discussed how we often set too high expectations of ourselves because of what we see on social media. I also enjoyed the activities and loved the skincare and makeup ones. The session that was really helpful for both me and the other girls was the one about food. It might not seem a very important topic – but for teenage girls it’s a big issue. There wasn’t any topic that I look back and wish we covered on Shine – it was a great balance of discussion and activities. Of course we’ve been through another lockdown since I did Shine but when I get stressed out about online learning I remember the breathing techniques I learnt and its helped me cope better with this time. I felt a thousand times better after completing Shine both mentally and in my own body

In Autumn 2020 I had just started Year 9 in a new school and I didn’t know anybody else.  My main anxieties are around school so joining a new school just increased this anxiety.  I found out about Shine from my mum who’d been told about it by the school.  I didn’t really know what to expect but I agreed to go.

I was worried about going to the first session because I didn’t know any of the other girls on the course, but it turned out that they were all really nice.  I liked getting the bags of goodies for the activities each week and I remember using the face mask and treating myself with the haircare items.

We played a bingo game in session 1 where you had to find out things about other girls in the room to complete your bingo card.  I really enjoyed this game and it helped me to get to know the other girls in the session. It’s the first session that sticks out in my memory the most.

All the subjects covered were interesting and relevant to me as a teenager.  There was a good mix of listening, discussion, and activities.  It gave me coping mechanisms to manage my anxiety and I still use the breathing techniques now.  You also talked about physical exercise to help with mental health and I do find that going on walks with my family in the fresh air really helps my wellbeing.

When we finished Shine – I felt good about myself and that I’d accomplished something.  It also helped me get to know girls in my new school who I wouldn’t have met otherwise because they’re not in my class.  Shine gave me coping mechanisms as well as making me feel more confident.  I also noticed a change in the other girls on the course as they were opening up more and talking about things that mattered to them.

I found out about Shine by accident. Some friends invited me to a youth club they were attending and it happened that Shine was starting the first week I turned up. I remember the youth leader had to ring my mum to get verbal consent so that I could attend! Although there were other girls from my school on the Shine course I didn't really know them but because there were fun activities to do during the Shine session I got to know them better really quickly.

Shine felt like a little sanctuary to me. We talked about everything - how we felt about ourselves and because everyone was given the opportunity to be vulnerable it made it easier to talk about myself.

My favourite activity on Shine was the drama where we had to act out good and bad behaviour in a restaurant. My group had a real laugh acting out the bad behaviour!

During one session we had to write down 10 words that described ourselves - my words were not very positive because at the time I was not feeling good about myself but this changed because everyone was so nice and didn't judge me and gave me a bit of self confidence.

Near the end of the course we all had to write down compliments for each other, which the leader then typed up and presented to each of us at the end of the meal. I still have my compliments stuck on my pinboard in my room.