Damieon’s Story
It’s good that the Steps programme is here because it gives people who are struggling and who have challenges a chance to grow in confidence, build communication, work as a team and have fun.
Damieon attended our Steps In The Right Direction Programme at The Cavalier Centre in 2020. He was our first participant and during the programme he also completed an Internship with us. He has now started an Equine Management Course at Reaseheath College and still remains a big part of the centre today as one of our regular Volunteers. Here are some words from his perspective and experience…
“I have a passion and desire to work with animals in the future, but I have had some tough times in the past and really needed some help, so that I can reach my goals in life.
I was feeling really nervous on my first day, but knowing that I would have a job coach to help and support me helped me to feel more confident in myself. Taking part on the Steps in the Right Direction Course with Lynette really helped me. Everyone was really helpful and supportive on my first day and made me feel really welcome. The staff were really nice and we were able to have fun whilst we were working. Without this help and support I would have been much more anxious, which would have been a big barrier to me being able to get the most out of the opportunity.
I completed a Steps in the Right Direction course with Lynette whilst at the Cavalier Riding Centre which was really good. We talked about lots of things which have happened in my life and how this had affected me, we talked about ways I can push through some difficulties to help me feel more self confident and improve my self esteem and also talked about ways to reach my goals in life. I had gained my Level 2 Animal Management Diploma with Merit from Reaseheath College previously, which I am really proud of being able to achieve.
We talked about what further people/professional skills I needed so that I can in the future gain employment in animal care and we also talked about how my life experiences had impacted me so that I can understand myself more and what I need to work on to help me to move onto the next steps in my life and personal development.
This programme gives people a boost and a good experience. It’s good that this is here because it gives people who are struggling and who have challenges a chance to grow in confidence, build communication, work as a team and have fun. It is good at overcoming any negativity people may have faced that stops them from doing what they love. It has helped me to grow as a person, because I have loved working with new people and staff and it’s been great to be around animals. It has been great for interacting with others and working with the horses themselves has given me the chance to get to know them and their characters. I enjoyed riding a horse too and feel more confident in myself.
The Steps in Right Direction course also included learning more about horses, how to look after them, all the jobs that need to be done in the yard, it helped me to get to know the staff, and volunteers and I also met other people who had similar backgrounds as myself on the course. I also had some riding lessons which I also really enjoyed. The staff at the centre were really good at showing me what my tasks were and how they wanted them to be done in a friendly way.”
