Why we do what we do –the power of sharing stories

• We recently released our latest impact data, showing the positive results behind the most recent cohort of young people our programme 

• However, we never forget the young people behind the data, and their stories are a great way to communicate the impact of the programme in an accessible way

• Jenny Hoyle, Delivery Director, shares some of the stories from a recent event with some key stakeholders – from tales of Jenga to poetry in motion

In November 2022 we held an ‘Insight event’ hosted by the Westminster Foundation, which gave us a chance to talk about the data we’ve collected over the past two years and the impact we’ve had. But more than this – it gave us a chance to look at the real-life impact of our programme, and to discuss just a few of the stories where we see West London Zone making a difference. 

On my way to the event we caught the tube from North Kensington, walked past the Silchester Estate – where many West London Zone families live – exited at Bond Street, walked through Mayfair and past Claridges. This short journey across our West London community really highlighted the stark inequalities in our area and reminded me of the role we have to share the real-life stories of children’s progress and the positive impact of West London Zone on their lives. 

The power of sharing stories 

I love a story of positive change, we all do, but for me it’s why I do what I do. I started training as a teacher and realised early on that a handful of young people in my class just weren’t able to access the teaching and learning provided. I was compelled to better understand their stories, curiously taking the time to really connect with what was going on under the surface. 

Great stories often don’t start with hope and positivity, lots of them start with loss, regret, challenges, difficult choices, poor health, fractured relationships or a lack of security and safety. At West London Zone we have the opportunity to participate in the story of every young person we work alongside, through the long-term trusted relationships, built on mutual respect and lots of curiosity.

This was the catalyst for me not to go on to teach but to pursue working with young people, families and communities experiencing really challenging and often complex circumstances. I quickly understood that really great stories often don’t start with hope and positivity, lots of them start with loss, regret, challenges, difficult choices, poor health, fractured relationships or a lack of security and safety. At West London Zone we have the opportunity to participate in the story of every young person we work alongside, through the long-term trusted relationships, built on mutual respect and lots of curiosity.

We kicked off the event by sharing three young people’s stories; Liliana, Danny, and Isabella. You can read more about their journeys here but on the night we were joined by Fatima, Liliana’s Link Worker, who gave her own perspective of Liliana’s story of growth. 

Poetic Justice

Liliana is 14 years old, living in Harlesden with her mum and older siblings. Fatima recalled when she first met her, and Liliana admitted that she found it difficult to trust adults. She also said she didn’t like school, the only thing she enjoyed was being with her friends, and she made it very clear that she didn’t see the point of learning as she wasn’t going to retain anything anyway as she found it hard to focus. Fatima knew she’d have to work hard to build that trust over the two years of the programme.

Fatima became an advocate for Liliana throughout the school day and beyond

But by Fatima being there when Liliana needed her, by being reliable and an advocate for Liliana throughout the school day and beyond, Liliana’s trust in adults started to repair. Her school engagement, focus and behaviour also improved and there was a pivotal moment during a session, held by one of our delivery partners, Element, who provide workshops using spoken word and arts-based activities to develop young people’s goals and support aspirations. Liliana wrote a poem about her identity, and where she saw herself in five years’ time – the first time Liliana had put that much thought into an academic exercise. At the end, not only had she created an incredible poem, but she started to take a new interest in her English lessons. She had connected her expression of identity with an enjoyment of writing as a creative outlet to express her thoughts and feelings. This was a significant factor in improving her English attainment levels.

“We all remember those special people who looked after us” 

We were also joined by Beth Humphries, Associate Principal at one of West London Zone’s partnership schools. Beth had come straight from school. She told us about walking past two eight-year-old boys on her way out, both on the West London Zone programme and both passionately playing Jenga with their Link Worker. The boys were at risk of exclusion, with complex challenging behaviour, and had been referred for specialist support from the Westminster Child Development team and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. However, the wait for that specialist support could take up to 18 months, when they are struggling to cope and are in crisis now.  

Beth had started her presentation by saying “we all remember those special people who looked after us” and it’s true. For me, it was my dance teacher. I was a young carer growing up and she went over and above to look out for me. And for these two boys, and for all the young people on the West London Zone programme, it will be their Link Worker, who builds a trusted bond, becoming their mentor, their champion and advocate. 

Beth reflected that the Link Worker is already changing the quality of the boy’s lives

Building blocks to a better future

So, how did the day develop for these two boys? Their Link Worker noticed that they had come to school a little unsettled, so she invited them to have breakfast and to play some games rather than heading straight to class. Once ready she took them to their classrooms, returning before the end to ensure they’d accessed the lesson properly, and were regulating their behaviour. She remained with them throughout much of the day, particularly at break and lunchtime, always supporting, always listening, and never judging. Today had been a good day for them, hence the reward of Jenga, a game of their choice. As Beth passed them on her way to the event she commented that they must have had a good day  – to which the boys replied, “I’m concentrating Miss, you’re going to spoil the game!”. 

Beth reflected that the Link Worker is already changing the quality of the boy’s lives, but also the quality of the lives of the other vulnerable children in their class. She talks about the benefit for their teacher too, who is new to teaching, and much more likely to stay in the teaching profession if the boys are able to get the support they need to cope in the classroom. 

"...always supporting, always listening, and never judging"

Stories of the future

At West London Zone, we really seek to better understand and ‘join in’ with each young person’s story. Not only does this come from the every day experiences of the Link Workers on the ground, but also involves us collecting data and insights about every young person we work with, tracking their progress to learn and improve our programme all the time. You can read more about our latest 2022 results and how we do this here.

As we look ahead to the future, we continue to have the incredible privilege of joining in the stories of more children and young people in West London. We are working hard to provide more intensive, tailored support for those that are really struggling with their academic learning, especially with this being increasingly challenging post Covid. We are partnering with more local organisations to support children’s social and emotional progress and make sure they get the right support when they need it, not when it’s too late. Lastly, we are developing our local community listening work as we seek to better understand the needs and experiences of the communities we’re part of and also engage WLZ Alumni so that we can track and share in their stories well beyond the 2 year West London Programme.