Paul Jetten, Outreach and development worker, Fairbridge Solent

7 October 2008 1 min read Social Care

When I was in my mid-twenties living in London, I became involved with drugs and suffered from depression. I was made homeless and ended up in a mental health institution.

I had the support of friends and family when I needed them, but not all young people are so lucky. When I moved back to Southampton, I decided to do some volunteer work with young people who were leaving care. It underlined that a lot of young people don't have the sort of network that I had.

When the Fairbridge job came up, I was honest about my experiences. I've had time to reflect and it makes it easier to use my experiences to help others without being too preachy.

We work with young people up to 25 and it can be harder for the older age group to access us. A lot of services do not deal with the transition to adulthood and adult services may not be suitable. Their lives are more hectic and they have specific problems such as housing.

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