Riley’s story: “I’m much more confident speaking to people”

I joined Inspire, Chorley Youth Zone as I wanted to meet new people and to learn more skills, it has helped a lot coming here. I was eight when I joined, so I wasn’t doing much before I came here. Now I come in for near enough every session, learning more and more skills, taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh, using the machines in the Makers Zone to create things.

When I first started, I was a little bit nervous ’cause I didn’t really know people. Once you start coming regularly, you engage with staff and the activities, and you find a group who are your type of people and who you want to be friends with. I feel a lot more confident than when I first started. I engage a lot more, do more activities, and try more rooms out.

Coming to Inspire has really helped my health mentally and physically. I’ve also benefitted from meeting people and socialising; you can bounce ideas with people who have the same problems as you inside or outside of the Youth Zone.

What I like about coming to the Youth Zone is you get to learn new skills. For example, I learned the drums, and a little of the guitar when I first started. I’ve learnt a lot about cooking, climbing, basketball, football, and more. Staff really are there to help with any problems you have outside of the Youth Zone.

I started DJing as like a hobby just ’cause I’m into my music. Two months ago, one of the rec workers brought DJing equipment in and I got to try them. One of our youth workers helped me learn this new skill, and I’m doing one the parties in a few weeks. The Youth Zone has massively helped me to learn new skills, including DJing, drumming, coding, basketball, football and meeting new friends. 

I’m much more confident speaking to people, I’m a lot more aware of how people think and what to say and what not to say. I’m learning to how to treat people the best that you can and how to engage with other.