Brooklyn attended one of our Get on Track for Wellbeing programmes funded by Sport England. The unique feature of this particular programme was that all the young people had registered disabilities and had been referred to the programme by the DWP and it was led by Paralympians Liz Johnson and David Hill.

Due to the pandemic, the programme was delivered virtually, but what that meant was young people could attend from all over the country and it meant they could be united in what they wanted to get out of the programme rather than the postcode where they happened to live. Watch the full film to hear Brooklyn and athlete mentor Liz Johnson talk about their experiences on the programme.

Brooklyn

I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when I was two years old so I’ve never been able to walk and I’ve never known any different.

My life wasn’t great because I thought nothing was ever going to change, but then I thought there is a way around this world and there is a way that I can fit in. The first few days of the programme were better than I thought they were going to be. It was fun and I could just tell from that day everyone was going to be open about their disabilities and it’s blown me away with the things that I’ve learnt and the people that I’ve met. I went and started doing my 5 k’s and I’ve carried that through now, that is my therapy – it’s the thing that gets me away from the stresses. That’s why it’s so important for me and my mental health.

I’ve gained a lot of confidence on the programme. Previously I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to question people as to why I couldn’t do something but now I want to question people and stand up and be an advocate. No matter where you come from, you can do anything you put your mind to and there shouldn’t be any barriers to that.