Li’Ana makes her team proud

Welcoming new challenges 

Li’Ana signed up to the Envision programme because her peers had previously been involved and she thought it sounded “really helpful and insightful”. She was also eager to include this experience on her CV in the future. 

Li’Ana was determined to improve her public speaking skills whilst on the Envision Programme and recognised that the milestone challenges would push her to put these skills into practice, however this didn’t make her any less nervous. Li’Ana struggles with anxiety, therefore working within a team of other students she wasn’t too familiar with was a daunting experience for her. Her teammates were extremely supportive, uplifting her and ensuring her voice was heard, despite her initial hesitance to get involved. 

An issue worth shouting about 

Li’Ana and her team decided to raise awareness around the topic of mental health, planning interviews with students and teachers in order to create support resources and signpost other young people to appropriate mental health services. Unfortunately, circumstances within the school that were out of their control meant they were unable to implement their original project plan. Demonstrating their determination, the team persevered by designing posters filled with art, helpline numbers and the powerful message ‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’.  

Uplifted by her peers 

At the final event, Li’Ana and her team presented in front of a large audience of other teams, including their mentors from Glennmont Partners. Not only was she proud of herself, but her team had also secretly voted for her to be awarded the Jack Petchey award for Outstanding Achievement on the programme. Li’Ana received this tearfully, thanking her team and mentors for showing her such support along the way and allowing her to grow at her own pace.