Lisa Jane

Lisa is now on a Music Industry course

‘In my old school they didn’t pay much attention to me, I was just a weirdo.’

Struggling at school with bullying and mental health issues, Lisa dropped out. ‘I was just sitting at home all day,’ she says, ‘with nothing to do.’

Then the school called to ask if she’d visit Pecan. She was sceptical but decided to pay them a visit. ‘I went there, had a meeting and just clicked straight away,’ she says.

Today Lisa is on a Music Industry course in east London. And she’s in a very different place than she was ten months ago.

She enrolled into Pecan’s Step Up programme, which provides individualised support for 14-19-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, or are at risk of exclusion from school. The programme has been so successful that Southwark Council is seeking extra funding to keep it going.

Step Up was a turning point for Lisa. ‘I did literacy, numeracy and touch typing,’ she says. ‘And because it was just two hours a day it helped me to cope with my mental health issues. Where my confidence was low because I got bullied over the years, it picked me up and made me into a more bubbly person. I made lots more friends.

‘The staff at Pecan always made me feel special in my own way,’ she continues.  ‘They were really supportive. I wanted to drop out again. I got to that stage where I couldn’t cope, but Pecan called me up and invited me to events.

‘It really did help me. It boosted my confidence and made my character into something that I wanted it to be.’