Name: Conor

Age: 14

Location: Belfast

Programme: LAC Mentoring

“I was feeling isolated and my home life was difficult. I was in foster care after a lot of moving around. When I was with my real family I was not being very respectful to my community, getting mixed up in vandalism and anti-social behaviour. My attendance at school wasn’t good either, as I just wasn’t enjoying it. My social worker was concerned about me as I was just sitting in my room, being a bit of a couch potato, and never going out.

 She wanted me to be more active, so she told me about Extern and how to get involved. I had heard of Extern before, but didn’t know that much about it. When I started with Extern I met other people in the group, and one of the first things I was asked was about what I like to do. I usually don’t like going into groups, I prefer dealing with people more on a one-to-one basis, so my Extern keyworker and I focused on that.

I’m a lot more confident since working with Extern. I’m doing well at school too - my attendance is high, I’m giving my best in what I do, and I’m handing in my homework on time. My favourite subjects are ICT, technology, and maths, and this year I’m doing well in lots of my subjects.”

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