She wanted to be a firefighter – that is exactly what she will be!
Nineteen year old Sophia from Wrexham, had often thought of being a firefighter but didn’t think she would ever be able to do it.
Sophia faced a lot of challenges as a young person, and the stress of this meant that she was unable to sleep and suffered back pain and nosebleeds. These issues were having a huge impact on life and her relationship with friends and family.
It was at this point she was referred to ADTRAC and was given the chance to think about her own future without having to think about other members of her family. Her mentor provided 1-2-1 support to help her access different appointments; something Sophia was not confident to do on her own and in partnership with other services they supported Sophia to explore her options regarding college and employment.
ADTRAC supported Sophia to attend a Level 3 First Aid course and organised a tour of a local Fire Station, inspiring her to apply for the North Wales Fire and Rescue traineeship through Coleg Cambria. ADTRAC setup a meeting with Careers Wales to help her with the application and when she met with the college, she was offered a place on the spot!
Sophia has now finished her traineeship and has been accepted onto a placement following a successful interview. She spends the majority of her week on the North Wales coast, going into schools and educating young people on a variety of different issues, including the importance of staying safe on the road and the impact this has on the emergency services. She also visits elderly people in their homes, carrying out safety and welfare checks and ensuring that their homes are safe and they are far from danger.
Her ADTRAC mentor said: ‘Sophia was quiet when she initially started the project and can now hold her own in an interview and when educating young people her own age, which shows such massive improvement and growth. Sophia is really looking forward to her future in the fire service.’
Sophia has commented on the support she’s received from ADTRAC, saying that ‘it helped to improve her confidence and get her where she is today.’
What is ADTRAC?
ADTRAC is a project that supports young people 16 to 24 across North Wales and the scheme has been partially funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), through the Welsh Government. ADTRAC is helping to raise the skill set of young people in North Wales improving their lives, tackling poverty and ensuring equal opportunities for all young people the project supports.
ADTRAC is a lifeline to some young people. It offers a personalised support programme for those wanting to get into work, education or training but have real obstacles in their way. This bespoke intervention along with Mental Health support from Betsi Cadwaladwr helps young people to make positive steps towards their future.
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