A TEENAGER from Denbighshire has received a prestigious award after overcoming anxiety.
Dewi Jones won the award at the Wales Country Final of The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards
Dewi, 17, who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), overcame anxiety and dislike of school to pass several exams and successfully find a place at college.
The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards recognise young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their local community. Dewi scooped the prestigious Ascential Educational Achiever Award for Wales, recognising young people who have overcome barriers and developed new skills to improve their future prospects through positive engagement within an educational setting.
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Dewi said: “I can’t quite believe how much I have achieved. I’m proud to say I left school with a load of qualifications and I’m now at college and enjoying my life. I’ve worked hard, it wasn’t easy but was worth it”
Dewi’s success was something he couldn’t imagine in primary school. Dewi’s ASD and severe bouts of low mood made it difficult for him to enjoy education in a mainstream school.
He became disengaged, anxious and self-loathing and found it hard to communicate how he was feeling. Dewi struggled to make friends, which increased his feeling of isolation and he
often ran away from school as he found it difficult to cope. He was later placed in foster care.
Dewi said: “I hated school, I didn’t think I had anything to offer, I found it difficult to concentrate, make friends and felt that I wasn’t able to achieve anything in life, so there was
no point in going to lessons. It was a dark time for me”
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Dewi’s enjoyment of school returned in Year 8 when he joined The Prince’s Trust Achieve programme at Milestones, Ysgol Plas Cefndy, in Rhyl.
The staff worked closely with Dewi to increase
his confidence and his learning. He became more engaged with staff and his peers and started to communicate his interests with those around him. With support from his teachers,
he was able to start valuing himself and started to believe he had a future he could be proud of.
He added: “When I started at my new school and took part in The Prince’s Trust Achieve programme, my confidence started to build. I felt supported in the sessions by the teachers who understood how I was feeling, they encouraged me every day.
“The Achieve sessions enabled me to learn practical skills, such as teamwork and communication, which helped me in my other lessons too. I also started to feel more positive
about my life outside of school too. I now had self-worth, which is incredible!
On winning the Ascential Educational Achiever Award, Dewi said: ‘“When I was told I’d won a Prince’s Trust Award, it was overwhelming. I was shocked but really pleased – my teachers, my foster mum Tina and The Prince’s Trust saw potential in me that I couldn’t see all those years ago and I’m so glad they did. I’m thinking about a future for myself now, I’m interested in becoming a blacksmith and now believe anything is possible.”
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