Meet Alfie
Alfie joined YMCA Stepping Stones in 2022. His guardian recently wrote to the team at the nursery to express their gratitude for the care he has received.
Jack arrived at YMCA after a devastating period in his life. He returned home from college to find his family evicted from their home, and soon after, tragically lost his father to suicide.
Jack said, “Everything happened so fast—it didn’t feel real. Me and my Dad were best friends. He was the person I was closest to. Losing him… it broke me.”
Left reeling and unsure of his next steps, Jack found stability and support at YMCA Derbyshire. He remembers his first day vividly. “I was nervous. I kept thinking, ‘This is really happening. I’m here without my dad.’ But when I walked in, the staff were so kind. Straight away, I felt like I was somewhere I could start to heal.”
With the help of his Housing Navigator, Jack began to process his grief and rebuild his confidence. “My Housing Navigator told me, ‘It’s okay not to be okay.’ That was the first time I really let myself cry,” he shared. My Housing Navigator helped Jack understand that grief doesn’t disappear—it needs to be processed. “She helped me find ways to talk about what I was feeling instead of holding it in,” he said. “That changed everything.”
Now, Jack is rebuilding his life with extraordinary determination. He takes part in the Foyer sessions to learn life skills like budgeting and cooking, and also goes to the activities days on offer. Throughout everything, he has continued to attend college studying A-levels in Chemistry, Biology, and Geology. His dream is to become a brain surgeon and study at Manchester University.
“I want to do something that matters,” he said. “I want to help people.”
Your support made Jack’s journey possible. Thank you for giving young people like him a chance to heal, grow, and find their feet.
**Update** We are pleased to announce that Jack has achieved 3 A’s in his A levels and has since moved out of YMCA Derbyshire to live at University Halls. Well done Jack!
“…when I walked in, the staff were so kind. Straight away, I felt like I was somewhere I could start to heal.”
Alfie joined YMCA Stepping Stones in 2022. His guardian recently wrote to the team at the nursery to express their gratitude for the care he has received.
Milo found school very difficult and struggled with his teachers. He felt he wasn’t very understood. Milo left school at 14 but found YMCA Key College a while after.
Now, he’s flourishing in ways he never thought imaginable.
Having spent two years living a reclusive life, Nathan didn’t communicate with anyone – he’d given up and had no motivation. Find out how YMCA Derbyshire provided him with friends for life and dramatically increased his confidence.
Michael had a tough life due to difficult living arrangements with family members and foster carers. After an argument with his father, Michael found himself in the care of YMCA Derbyshire. Find out how we have helped him to have a better outlook on life.