23 August

"This is when I knew that I could be a better person"

OnSide believe that all young people need is a chance to discover what they have got and where it could take them. Potential is everywhere. But while some young people get every opportunity to explore theirs, others don’t. With support from The Lord Mayor's Appeal, OnSide are able to transform more young people’s lives by providing vital opportunities that they otherwise would not have. Here one young Londoner Dylan Ramburn tells his story.

"I used to be a really naughty kid at school and was permanently kicked out when I was in year 8 for fighting. I was then home schooled until college, not leaving home, playing video games all day. I was bored and angry all the time which was caused by really bad social anxiety.

My mum knew someone who started to volunteer at Future so suggested that it would be good place to start socialising. I started attending Future a month before Lockdown started and I got to know some of the staff before everything closed down

Lockdown was bad for me and suicide had crossed my mind. During Covid I had a couple visits which made me feel less lonely and more valued. When Future reopened and I felt like I was able to I started socialising more with the staff and other young people. I started doing the activities, helping out and sharing how I felt and soon found that I started to receive achievements. This is when I knew that I could be a better person.

Being encouraged to get out of my comfort zone and managing my anger helped my social anxiety and taught me to start living my life. Since then, I have been awarded a Jack Petchey and having had help with my CV, I now have a job doing something I enjoy."

You can find out more about our partnership with OnSide here