Impact Arts

Positive outcomes for Kendall in 2017;

Background

Kendall dropped out of school very young after experiencing severe bullying to the point where she struggled to get out of bed in the morning. Upon leaving school, Kendall became reclusive and shut herself away from her peers, fearing any further taunting. At this point in her life, she turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort, eventually abusing substances to the point of overdose. As a result, she was thrown out of her home by her Mum and eventually settled with her Gran after months of staying with friends.

When Kendall joined Impact Arts’ Creative Pathways course in Barrhead at the age of 16, she had very little confidence or self-esteem. Although on the face of things she is a lovely girl with a bubbly outlook, this masked a sadder side. Kendall suffered from severe anxiety, depression, panic attacks and spoke often about having suicidal thoughts.

Journey

It was clear that Kendall was finding it difficult to work with others in a group context. She had been so used to her own company that social anxiety had become a barrier to her participating in anything.

Eventually, as part of the course, she visited several places along with the group, including the Camera Obscura exhibition in Edinburgh, Rouken Glen Park, Glasgow’s Museum Resource Centre and the Letraset Exhibition at the Lighthouse in Glasgow. It was a huge step in her journey that she attended these and faced her fear of being out in public.

Kendall started to become more accustomed to being in company and began to interact freely and ask questions at visits. She began taking more care in her appearance and told us that she was socialising at weekends instead of shutting herself away. Her confidence was bolstered by the friends she was making in the group and the different experiences she gained visiting new places. She began to see herself as the kind, bubbly character the artists and fellow participants knew her as.

As part of their SQA Enterprise unit, Kendall and her group were asked to plan, design and create a wall mural for Barrhead’s Auchenback Resource Centre. This took a lot of research, planning and liaising with the centre staff and users to come up with a design that was suitable for everyone. This process helped Kendall develop a variety of skills including painting, drawing, communication and social skills.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. You work with the best people – you couldn’t meet better people.” – Kendall

“It’s really nice to be a part of something and do something nice for the community. Being on the course has helped me to feel like myself again.” – Kendall

Future Plans

After successfully completing the 12-week programme, Kendall gained a position on a next-stage employability program with Rathbone and began applying for jobs to get work experience to put towards her dream of working in childcare.