Young people have told of how they have benefited from a course run from Perth YMCA.
Journey to Freedom brings a group together for eight weeks, offering a safe and encouraging place for participants of any age who want to make a positive change in their lives.
For the past five years the programme, which stems from a Nashville charity called Restore Small Groups, has been run at YMCA Tayside in Perth by youth worker Alyxs Dellaquaglia.
In recent months she has additionally delivered the programme to adults at Chalmers Ardler Church and twice to inmates at Perth prison.
Alyxs says the course builds self-awareness and helps participants work out emotions and feelings.
It has helped people gain employment, conquer anxiety and develop life skills.
“It’s very healing and therapeutic,” she said.
“It’s very good for people who may have trauma or mental health problems.”
Has had long-lasting effect
Craigie resident Layla Riddoch, 18, has twice done the course.
She first completed Journey to Freedom when she was 16, before she got her existing job as a YMCA Tayside youth worker.
Layla explained that the course involved meeting the group once a week and talking through questions based on a study book.
“I was bullied at school so my mental health wasn’t the best,” she said.
“It was about making changes, setting goals, trying to change your mindset and working towards a happier life.
“It was a good opportunity to focus on myself, which was what I needed.
“It helped me understand myself, my emotions and the way I was.
“It has had a long-lasting effect.”
Insight into youth work
Layla studied at Perth High School before moving to St John’s RC Academy.
“I left there as soon as I could,” she said.
“I didn’t really know what was ahead of me.
“I wanted to be a youth worker but didn’t know how to get there.”
“As a youth worker you have to be able to help others. If I am not 100% I can’t help other young people,” she said.
“It got me into the why. I was into meeting new people and it all contributes to who I am today and the youth work I have done.”
Training versus trying
Jonathan Dent, 25, completed the Journey to Freedom course three years ago.
At the time he was a youth worker at YMCA Tayside.
He said it helped it helped him deal with the habit of procrastination.
“Their idea of training versus trying is very useful,” Jonathan said.
“Trying to do everything in one go is unrealistic and the whole course is about making changes in your life.
“If you want to make a change it’s about small increments that will have work over time. I found it useful in my own life.”
Being in a functional family
The course is funded by Restore Small Groups, which survives on donations mainly from American philanthropists.
Alyxs recently flew out to Tennessee to explain the course’s impact in Scotland.
She said: “We are living in a loneliness and isolation epidemic. Lots of people have depression.
“More and more people are struggling to make relationships and Journey to Freedom is such an amazing course to help people with all the things people are going through.
“It is a closed course so you can experience being in a functional family. There’s respect.
“People sometimes share things they have never shared in their life. It is because of the safe space that you create.”
