Kimberly Dow
Kimberly, 16, from Fife, had three
serious exclusions from school and very low self-esteem before
joining The Prince's Trust xl programme. Having had
this opportunity to engage with her peers and develop
group work skills, she now fully engages in school and
has a bright future ahead of her.
Kimberly experiences autistic-like
difficulties and found it hard to relate to establish relationships
with her peers. During S1 and S2 Kimberly regularly became
confrontational and aggressive, resulting in a lot of time in the
support centre; often refusing to attend classes, Kimberly had
three serious exclusions during S1/S2.
Teaching staff were concerned about the number
of classes Kimberley was missing and were looking into education
outside the mainstream to give her the support she needed.
At this time Kimberly had no plans for the
future and had very low self esteem. By the end of S2 she was
feeling very low and making her subject choices for S3 proved
difficult, as she didn’t see any value in it, believing she would
be unable to gain any qualifications. It was at this point that
Kimberly joined the S3 xl club.
The xl club gave Kimberley the platform she
needed to re-engage with mainstream education and she has
progressed significantly since joining. During a Natural
Connections course at Lochire Meadows, Kimberley was able to use
outdoor education as a way of engaging with her peers and
developing her group work skills. Kimberly pushed herself outside
her comfort zone and started to reap the rewards of her hard work.
Since joining xl, Kimberley has participated in a number of school
projects including giving a presentation to parents/pupils and
staff, getting involved in a paired reading group and filmed mock
interviews for college.
Kimberley sat a number of SQA Standard Grade exams and achieved
an ASDAN xl Gold Award a Level 2 ASDAN Cope award. Now in S5,
Kimberley requires very little support in school and has a good
group of friends to support her. With a bright future ahead of her,
Kimberley is hoping to pursue a career in the care industry.
Champions
We would like to acknowledge the individuals or organisations
who have played a key role in helping this young person achieve
success through their Prince’s Trust programme.
- Ian Cooper, Fife Council
- Adam Nosal, Fife Council
- Fife Council