Cortez's - Story
Cortez lives at Brighton and Hove Foyer, which provides accommodation and support for vulnerable young people. He has been taking part in the Get on Track for Wellbeing programme, run in partnership between Sanctuary Supported Living and the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, this is his story.
I actually missed the first Get on Track session, but all of my friends told me about it and said it was good, so I went to the second session and stuck to it after that. I wasn’t really doing anything before this programme started, just living day to day really.
The programme was really good, because it got all of us out of rooms in the morning and gave us something to do. It seemed to bring the whole block closer together, as we were talking and working with people that we wouldn’t normally speak to. Get on Track has helped me to become more confident around people I don’t know.
Hannah has really helped me with my mental health. She’s really helped me to deal with my anger issues and my attitude towards other people, she’s definitely helping me to become a better person.
We did lots of different activities on the programme. Obviously, we did some boxing with Hannah because of her background but she also got us to design our own activities, so we did things like two-on-two football and different rules for playing table tennis as a group. It was really useful as it taught us about team leadership skills.
Boxer Hannah Beharry, who mentored Cortez as part of the Get on Track for Wellbeing said:
“When Cortez joined the programme, he was a young kid who was pretty depressed and a bit lost. Through Get on Track, he was able to join a gym and run a social action project which helped him to improve his confidence. Now he has the mindset to move out, get a job and look forward to the future. ”
Local Service Manager, Stephanie Smith, added:
“Hannah has been a real inspiration to the young people at Brighton and Hove Foyer. Cortez has really matured through his participation in the Get on Track for Wellbeing programme, and he is now on track to a brighter and more successful future. ”
Now the programme is coming to an end, it’s made me think about a few things and while I’m not quite ready to start applying for jobs again, I’m going to get back into the gym to work on my fitness. I find this really helps with my mental health as well.
Over the course of the programme, I feel like I’ve grown up and matured a lot. Before the programme I know I was rude to people sometimes, but I feel like I get on with all the staff now and have respect for other people more. I’m in a much better place now and feel a lot happier. The programme and working with Hannah has really helped with my mental health and I’d really recommend it to other people if they were thinking about doing it.
Cortez attended the Get on Track for Wellbeing programme delivered in partnership with Sanctuary Supported Living in Brighton in 2021 as part of a partnership delivering five programmes in locations across the country.