Powerful role models inspiring new futures

With support from the Gwent High Sheriff’s Community Fund, Rewild Play ran 10 “You can be…” sessions for young people aged 11–18 facing issues of low self-esteem, anxiety and disengagement. By meeting real role models who had overcome challenges, participants were inspired to see new possibilities for their own lives.

Many of the young people Rewild Play supports are neurodiverse, have additional learning needs, have been excluded from school or involved in crime. Daily life is often shaped by depression and anxiety, and the belief that they won’t amount to much is very much a part of their daily life.

Over the course of a year, Rewild ran 10 inspiring workshops, each led by a different adult who had overcome personal challenges to succeed in their creative or professional careers. From chefs to gymnasts, skaters to studio engineers, these session leaders enabled young people the chance to try new activities and see success first hand, while sharing their experience as people who once felt the same as them.

“While some young people dropped out, those who took part connected with their role models, hearing inspiring stories and engaging in positive activities. The sessions helped steer them away from antisocial behaviour and back toward education, promoting good citizenship.”