Arunee
Mackay
Before 26-year-old Arunee from Bristol came to
The Prince’s Trust she had experienced homelessness, drug abuse and
long-term unemployment. Now, as a Young Ambassador, she is
inspiring other young people to get the support they need to turn
their lives around.
Arunee spent the first five years of her life in a
Thai orphanage. She came to the United Kingdom when she was
adopted and had a happy childhood, until she experienced
bullying at school and started spending time with the wrong crowd.
She would regularly skip school, experiment with drugs and was
eventually expelled.
Arunee’s downward spiral continued when she ran away from home
at 15 and ended up living on the streets. She spent the next six
years living in and out of hostels and got mixed up with a bad
crowd known for drugs, alcohol and crime.
During this time, Arunee struggled to hold down a job and she
remained unemployed. With each rejection letter she received,
Arunee’s self-esteem seemed to drop which in turn affected her
motivation to continue seeking work.
However, Arunee was determined to turn her life around. She
returned to live with her parents and made a huge effort not to
slip back into her old habits. While she continued to seek
employment, she fell pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. As a
single mother, Arunee realised she needed to find a way of
providing for her family which led to her signing up to The
Prince’s Trust Get into Youth Work programme.
Since then, Arunee has successfully completed the Get into Youth
Work course and has become a Young Ambassador for the Trust,
inspiring other young people to get the support they need to turn
their lives around.
As a Young Ambassador, she has attended numerous events all over
the UK to help raise money for The Prince’s Trust. She has also
taken the time to speak to young people currently enrolled in
Prince’s Trust schemes, using her experience to encourage them to
change their lives.
As well as her Ambassador duties, Arunee is currently studying
at City of Bath College to gain qualifications which will help her
to realise her ambition of working in the Probation Service.
She said:
When I look back, I can’t believe how far I’ve
come. I’m juggling being a mum with going to college, being a Young
Ambassador and doing volunteer work. It’s all so exciting and I
can’t wait to find out what’s next.
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.
- Anna Hill, The Prince’s Trust
- Kate Ingham, The Prince’s Trust