QUINN’S STORY

Quinn is a father of four children. He brought his son Riley, aged 8, for the first time to one of URBOND activities in April 2023. Riley finds it very difficult to engage and socialise with other children and adults. Quinn, his father, has not been able to get a diagnosis or the support he needs from school or other professionals.

On his first day, Riley seemed overwhelmed and did not find easy to talk to any of the staff or children. The staff talked with his dad and gathered more information to understand his needs and how to better support him. During the activity Riley was allocated a dedicated member of staff to ensure he felt comfortable and to give him reassurance throughout the day.

After a couple of hours, the team noticed a big difference in them. Riley started talking to the staff and playing with other children. We also discovered they loved dancing, as they were able to express themselves openly.

In the following session, Riley was provided with dancing activity to help them break the ice and feel comfortable. The parents and the team were very impressed with the improvements he made in such a short period of time. Following this positive experience, Quinn started to bring all four children to the Youth Club and they are fully engaged with us on a weekly basis. The children feel very comfortable with all the staff and have made lots of friends and built incredible confidence.

Working with children and young people is our passion, but we also understand the importance of engaging and working with their families. By getting to know their family context, we were able to understand their dynamics, needs, backgrounds and circumstances better. We support everyone, including the young people, the families and the community.

And together, we can make the world of difference to people like Quinn, Riley, Alex, Taylor and the other 8,000+ children we expect to engage with throughout the year.