Interview with Hanna from Daventry Mayday

Today I interviewed Hanna from Daventry scheme of Mayday Trust. Hanna is 27 years old and has been receiving support from Mayday trust for just over 2 years. She is now living in her own accommodation and is receiving floating support. When I asked Hanna about the recent changes to Mayday Trust she explained that she has not really been affected by the changes but can see the benefit in those who are still in Mayday accommodation. She said that it means that the specific needs of each and every client are being met and it promotes independence.

Hanna would like to live independently in the near future without floating support from Mayday. She would like to get a long term job and continue with the Chance 4 Change. Chance 4 Change has given Hanna the opportunity to travel and participate in volunteering at youth hostels. Hanna said “it has been such an opportunity” and “I would like to take my friend to an area of Ireland that I have been to with Chance 4 Change”. Mayday Trust introduced Hanna to Chance 4 Change and Hanna said that they have helped her in way of confidence and she has participated in activities and events that she would never have though she was capable of doing. Evidence of this is, a couple of months ago Hanna took part in a presentation in front of the staff of Mayday Trust and Chance 4 Change telling them about the opportunities they had taken part in and what they had been doing. Hanna said that they all worked together as a team to present their work and she felt confident in speaking in front of the staff about what they have been doing. She said that the people she has met through Chance 4 Change wouldn’t necessarily be the kind of people she would normally have as friends but since joining Chance 4 Change she feels that the group have become closer. This is a result of having to work together as a team and supporting each other to overcome obstacles and she has now got a very diverse group of friends.

I asked Hanna about what her aspirations in life are. She told me that since coming to Mayday she has been given a wide range of opportunities for example a PETALS course and feels that she has now got new aspirations in life “my dreams have now changed to reality”. Hanna told me about her aspiration of becoming a writer and she knows that Mayday can help her in achieving this or starting it up. After completing the courses Hanna said that she felt her confidence has been boosted and she is very thankful to her key worker from when she was living in the Mayday accommodation as he helped her to reflect on situations that she struggled with and put in place coping strategies to deal with similar situations in the future. He also supported her in her decisions and choices. Hanna has an interest in photography and has had plenty of opportunities to capture her experiences with Chance 4 Change and is very proud with some the photos she has got. Hanna has got a very exciting opportunity coming up soon regarding a 3 week work experience in a youth hostel in Nepal. She is very enthusiastic about this and can’t wait to get out there and do it.

When I asked Hanna if there was anything she would like to change in her life she said that although there are some elements of her past that she would like to have done differently she feels that she would not be the person she is today if she hadn’t have experienced them. The past has made her who she is but has not determined her future.

Hanna appreciates all the help and support she has had from Mayday and is proud of where she is now.

 

Interview by Fiona McCance – Mayday Reporter & Intrepid Explorer – 13^th June 2013

Interview with Dave Cusack - Director of Operations

Interview with Dave Cusack - Mayday Trust

My Story for Intrepid Explorers and Mayday Trust

ME !!!

“Mayday Trust changed my life ... for the better.”

 

My name is Fiona and I am 21. I have been living at the Northampton scheme run by Mayday Trust since 4^th February 2013. When I arrived at Mayday I was very concerned about having to build a relationship with someone new and was very reluctant to communicate with the staff but after meeting my then Key worker I was challenged with the patience of a saint. After a while the barriers I had set up slowly disappeared and I was able to communicate what help I needed and what ambitions I had in life. Well, that’s where the fun started and my life changed completely. I was signposted by my Key worker for courses to do with media and music and I applied for them. After a while I changed my mind and decided that this was not what I wanted to do, and then an opportunity arose to go on a 2 day residential with Foyer Federation to learn some journalism skills and take part in exciting events as an Intrepid Explorer. I had always had an interest in media and thought that this would be a great chance to see how I would like it before committing to a course. My Key worker reassured me and encouraged me to take part in this opportunity and so I followed my dreams.

I found the course very interesting and I knew that this was something I wanted to continue doing. Mayday Trust has given me many opportunities on top of being an Intrepid Explorer and I am now a Mayday Reporter as well. I have been very busy with my work and I am very ambitious for where this may take me in the future.

I am very excited about becoming an Intrepid Explorer as our aim is to discover what impacts and achievements are important to young people using advantaged thinking. This is something that I have undeniable enthusiasm about and I am confident that with the work I am producing young people will be able to be recognised in a more positive way and I hope to gain a career in journalism.

Another major interest in my life is music and I am a keen singer. I have always wanted to apply for the X Factor but never had the confidence to follow this desire. My Key worker encouraged me to apply and I was soon invited for an audition. This made me scared and very nervous but she helped me to overcome these by supporting me in arranging travel and printing off maps for me to follow.

I auditioned for X Factor 10 in April this year and was successful in my first two auditions and I am now awaiting a response from my third. I never thought I would be able to pluck up the courage to even submit an application form let alone actually attend the audition in Birmingham and be successful.

When I arrived at Mayday Trust I was shy and I isolated myself a lot. Now I am a changed person, confident and strong once again. Mayday Trust has worked with me to achieve my goals and set new goals for the future. The support I have had from the staff at Mayday Trust has been outstanding, they have helped me to realise that my dreams and aspirations are not only dreams, they can be reality and my audition for X Factor 10 is proof of this. It is thanks to Mayday Trust that I had the confidence and strength to go and follow my dreams. I have now been living in Mayday Trust for 4 months and I can see a bright future for myself. 

Who would have thought my life could change so quickly. I am now up and about everyday and have confidence in the work I am doing. I am enthusiastic and content when I’m working and I can’t wait to see where this may take me in the future!

Thank you for giving me my life back and encouraging me to be me and to follow those dreams!

 

Written by Fiona McCance – Mayday Reporter & Intrepid Explorer – 20^th May 2013

Interview with Emma from Broadmead Court for Intrepid Explorer work

I interviewed a young female from Mayday Trust Broadmead Court to ask her about what impacts and achievements are important to her.

Emma is 27yrs old and is currently living in Broadmead Court supported living run by Mayday Trust. She has been living there for just over 2 years and came to Mayday following a mental health relapse. When Emma came to Broadmead she hoped to get support with maintaining and increasing her independence along with developing basic life skills and possibly returning to education, with the ambition of getting employment.

Before Emma came to Broadmead she was living in a small village with her Father and Stepmother where she felt quite stable in regards to accommodation but felt like she needed to move out and into her own place. She had never been employed and had little education.

When Emma arrived at Broadmead Court she was welcomed and shown around the area. She was offered support in the areas she felt she needed help with and was encouraged to do things to help towards her future. Emma explained that she felt that the staff at Broadmead Court were very supportive, encouraged her a lot and were positive about the choices she had made. “The staff members were there to talk to when I needed to and they wanted to help me do what I wanted to do.”

I asked Emma what goals she had for the future that were personal to her and she told me that she would like to work at a local hospice helping terminally ill people to fulfil their last wishes. Emma wants to do this as she lost her granddad when she was younger and thinks that the idea of helping someone to fulfil their dreams before they pass away is “amazing and I want to be part of it.” Emma knows that in order to achieve this she needs to complete some relevant courses at college with the support of the staff at Mayday Trust and is feeling very positive about this as she has already achieved Entry Level 1 in Maths and is currently attending an Entry Level 3 in English course. Emma has a great support network including friends, family and professionals to help her in achieving her goals.

Emma told me about some of her hobbies and how she would like to use these interests in achieving future goals. Emma enjoys reading and writing, computer games and also spending time with her Nan and helping her out with gardening or household tasks. With these interests she would like to write a book about her experiences in life to help other people who suffer or people who know someone be it a friend or family member who has mental health illnesses understand it better. She stated that she would like the book to be based around self harm and recovery as she can see that she has come such a long way in the past 3 years and would like to help other people to understand the reasoning for self harming and how to deal with it or how to find alternative methods.

Previous achievements that Emma told me about included working in a day care centre as a volunteer where she supported people over the age of 50 to join in with activities within the centre. Emma told me how she thoroughly enjoyed this and would like to return to do this again in the near future. The goals of working in the local hospice supporting people to fulfil their last wishes and writing a book Emma has put a time frame of 2 years to have achieved this by however she also stated that if she was able to achieve just one of her goals within that period of time she would be very happy.

In the not so distant future Emma is planning with her key worker to move on into her own accommodation with floating support. Emma is very positive when she thinks about her future and is thankful to Mayday Trust for all of the support and encouragement she has received from them. Mayday has had a great impact on Emma’s life and she said that she would recommend Mayday Trust to others who are in a similar situation as she was in before Mayday came and “saved my life”.

 

Interview by Fiona McCance - Mayday Reporter & Intrepid Explorer- 4^th May 2013

So far ... So busy !! loving it !!

Over the past couple of weeks I have been very busy interviewing staff at Mayday getting their opinions of the recent changes to the trust. It has been great fun and exciting and very stressful at times but overall brill ... I have interviewed the Chief Executive and the Director of Operations as well as a LAM (learning asset mentor), I was very nervous about the interviews but when it came to actually sitting there asking the questions I felt more relaxed and was really interested in what the staff had to say about the new ways of Mayday. The LAM who has been supporting me in this has been very helpful in encouraging me to be confident in my work...( it will get easier I’m sure) and giving me plenty of opportunity to practice my interviewing skills and get work for my blog. Cheers Rhian J

 

Over the next couple of weeks I will be trying to interview as many residents of Mayday as possible to find out

·         What their aspirations are

·         Who they think will be able to help them achieve this

·         What they want from life and

·         How mayday can or has helped them to get to where they are now and where they want to be in the future.

 

I will be attending the Unipart assessment day on Monday 10^th June where the residents who are taking part will be interviewed and shortlisted for the work placement. I expect that all the residents will be fairly nervous about the interviewing process and I hope that I will be able to capture their moments before during and after the interview. On the 14^th June I will be attending the Unipart induction where the residents who were successful in the assessment will be having their first day of training. The Unipart is a 4 week placement; I hope to follow the residents experience over this period interviewing, filming and photographing their time and then at the end of the experience use all of the work I have gathered to create a video.

 

I will keep you updated regularly of what’s going on and what you can expect to see popping up on here J !!

Pat McArdle Chief Executive at Mayday Central Rugby

Today (29^th May 2013) at Mayday Central Office Rugby I interviewed Pat CEO of Mayday Trust. The aim of my interview was to find out about the most recent changes to Mayday.

Pat has been working for Mayday Trust for just under 2 years and previous to this she volunteered at a soup kitchen and supported  homeless people and people who suffer from mental health illnesses in Birmingham, she said that she is very passionate about her work and this has helped her to get her job title now. At the start of the interview I expressed my own personal opinions of the changes to Mayday, when questioned about her best experience while working at Mayday Pat said hearing positive feedback from residents and knowing that they as a Trust are helping people and it is very much appreciated.

Pat is very positive about the changes at Mayday Trust and said that the decisions that have been made were influenced by research into who the trust supports and what residents need from them. Pat stated that she noticed that everyone who comes to Mayday Trust has individual needs, aspirations and abilities and so decided that changes needed to happen in order to support everyone effectively. Ultimately, Mayday aims to help residents not only live their day to day life but to also encourage them to set goals and ambitions for the future and to help them fulfil their dreams and live the life they want. Mayday is now providing different support to residents which are adapted to their individual needs and aspirations with the intention to offer opportunities and experience relevant to them.

The recent government funding cuts have affected Mayday Trust and Pat hopes that the changes will help to expand the charity and encourage funders to support them to continue running the projects they have set up for residents. She also said that the staff structure changes mean that each member of staff can specialise in their specific field (learning asset mentors, personal asset mentors and housing officers) and use their own talents and interests in these areas meaning that the staff are more enthusiastic about their job and happier, subsequently reflected on the quality of service that they offer. The changes are going to be beneficial to service users of Mayday because now each resident will have the opportunity to work with the relevant people to fulfil their ambitions maintain a healthy lifestyle and get support in areas that they feel will benefit them. Pat explained that she could empathise with residents who are here purely for housing support who may feel they do not want or need any other support and before the changes they may have felt patronised by some of the tasks they were being asked to take part in to show what their level of skills are. This new system allows those people who need very little support to continue with their day to day life without feeling patronised by or obliged to take part in certain task such as living skills and those who need extra support to access it and get specific support from whichever team is relevant.

I asked Pat about how residents felt initially about the changes and whether she had received any feedback now that these had happened. She told me that to start with people were very nervous and in some cases angry about the changes as they felt having less staff onsite would make the place unsafe and there was many personal concerns raised too, however, some residents believed that the changes meant that they could have more independence. Now that the changes have happened Pat and her team plan to go and visit all of the Mayday sites to meet with residents and get feedback on how they feel now and to listen to any suggestions that residents may make.

To conclude my interview with Pat I asked her what does she hope to achieve within Mayday and has she got any plans for the future of Mayday? Pat hopes that by getting people from different supported accommodations and members of the public involved with the trust it will become more widely recognised and has already expanded further in Daventry and Bedford. The Bedford changes include a new building consisting of 19 rooms that is specifically for people with mental health illnesses and another new building that will be specifically aimed at people who are offenders. She hopes that residents will settle well with the new structure and support approaches.

Interview by Fiona McCance - Mayday Reporter - 29^th May 2013

Interview with Lisa Burgess Learning Asset Mentor Mayday Trust

Lisa Burgess at Learning Ability Centre Rugby

I interviewed Lisa Burgess today (29^th May 2013) at Mayday Central in Rugby about how the changes to mayday have affected her and what her new job role involves. The information that Lisa gave me was very interesting and I am excited to share her interview with you.

Lisa has been working for Mayday Trust for 3 years and when she started her job title was Project worker. The role that she had involved meeting residents for key work sessions and giving general support covering all areas including housing, education, living skills and emotional/personal support. The recent changes to Mayday Trust mean that Lisa has had a change in job role and is now a LAM (Learning Asset Mentor) Lisa’s job role now includes supporting residents specifically in education and employment. Lisa helps residents get involved in opportunities such as college, voluntary work and encourages them to engage in courses held by Mayday Trust. The courses and opportunities are relevant to the individual’s interests and skills. The LAM’s met with residents and discussed what their interests are and what they want to do and where they feel their qualities lie, this allows the LAM’s to identify which opportunity they can offer would best suit them. The main three aspects that Lisa works with are English, Maths and pre- tenancy, these are addressed through clubs and courses set up by Mayday Trust. Lisa also works with residents on improving their living skills and problems solving.

With the most recent changes the Learning Ability has been born. This is a service that is based at Mayday central in Rugby and targets people over the age of 16 with learning disabilities within Mayday accommodation in other supported living and also members of the public. These facilities were available at Lennon Court in Rugby but this facility has been purpose built to support people with learning disabilities and encourage them to get out of the home environment and become more independent. Lisa stated that the Learning Ability encourages socialising, gives the community the opportunity to get involved. The Learning Ability is focused on advantaged thinking and works on enhancing the abilities that these individuals have and strives on their talents. This facility was built with the objective of bringing People with learning disabilities together and allowing them to maintain independence, learn new skills and having a positive outlook on Learning disabilities hence the place being called Learning ability.

When I asked Lisa about how she felt about the changes at Mayday she was very enthusiastic and said “it’s been a great turning point” and “its FAB !!!”

Interview by Fiona McCance - Mayday Reporter – 29^th May 2013

Timetable displayed on the wall in Learning Ability showing daily activities.

Kitchen area in Learning Ability used for living skills.

Social activities.

The workshop area in Learning Ability.

Another social area.