“A Genuine Guiding Light for the Children”
“A genuine guiding light for the children” – we recently sat down with a long standing friend of Matrix to hear why they love working with us and how they see Matrix inspiring young people. Steve Smith – Headteacher, Guildford County School What do you love about Matrix? We’ve had a longstanding relationship with Matrix, […]
Feeling Happier at School
Jed* started attending our Schools Transition Project last year. By providing a safe and welcoming space for students to express their worries, we help build their confidence and the resilience they need to overcome obstacles they may encounter at secondary school. In the sessions, students like Jed learn how to manage their anxiety, make new […]
Priya’s Progress
Priya had experienced some bullying at school and was struggling with attendance, leading to aggressive and rude behaviour wherever they went. When they started coming to the Youth Café, they brought this disruptive behaviour with them and were unwelcoming to others who came along. The team took time to build trust and engaged them in […]
Malin’s Story
12-year-old Malin was struggling with anger issues as a result of a parental split and other family issues, regular frustration and anger meant they would lash out and get into trouble at school, and at home. In our first few sessions they would either be energetic and loud, or completely unengaged with their head on […]
Work, Rest & Play!
During an enrichment day at Christ’s College, we ran a ‘Getting the Balance Right’ workshop with four groups of year 11s. We worked with the students to discover the importance of having a balance in the areas of ‘work, rest, and play’. This workshop was to help prepare them as they get ready for exam season, […]
Alex’s Achievements
We began seeing Alex in the summer, the school referred him as his self-esteem was noticeably low and he was being distracted easily in class. In one session activity, he scored himself low on feeling valued by others. We then spent the following sessions looking at self-esteem activities and setting simple tasks for him to […]
Building Freddy’s Confidence
Our school lunchtime drop-ins provide a safe space for students to come and make friends, play games and let off steam, as well as connect with our youth workers. We’re currently running these drop-ins in three schools across Guildford. Freddy* attended our drop-in at George Abbot and initially was very quiet, reserved and shy, seeming awkward around […]
Louisa’s Lessons
When we first met Louisa*, she was shy and had some self-confidence issues. She really cares about the people around her, but struggles to care about herself in the same way. We began one-to-one sessions with Louisa at school, this meant that she was in a safe space to open up and share her thoughts. […]
Peter’s Progress
We first met Peter* last summer. Their Dad told us they were struggling with their mental health and were subsequently not coping well at school. Working collaboratively for the benefit of young people is central to our values, so in partnership with the social worker they had already been assigned, we met with the family to […]
Spencer’s Story
When we first met Spencer* he had recently been put on behaviour report, and the school were concerned about him. He had been experiencing issues in his home life as well as problems with friendships and bullies at school. Working to benefit young people is fundamental to our goals, so we met with Spencer to […]