When Megan, a pupil from Govan High School in Glasgow, first met her Pathways Coordinator, she was nervous and thought she might have been in trouble. However, her Coordinator was simply there to invite her to find out more about the Young Glasgow Talent programme.
Megan has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and also suffers from high levels of anxiety which affects both her education and her everyday life.
Although Megan is often described as ‘infectiously fun and lovely’, her ASD and anxiety could get the best of her and she often used this as an excuse not to try new things. This ultimately held her back from discovering her true potential. Megan struggled to talk to people of her own age and often suffered from panic attacks brought on by her anxiety.
Despite this, she was very keen to get involved in the Young Glasgow Talent programme and was excited to meet her mentor.
Megan was matched with Anne and it was clear from the offset that they were happy and would be productive together. The pair had a very strong relationship and Anne’s support was helping build Megan’s confidence.
Anne focused her meetings with Megan on helping her mentee to recognise her undeniable strength of character and the potential she had if she could just build her confidence.
Through her ongoing meetings with Anne, Megan soon became a very active member of the school community and secured herself a leading role in an upcoming school show! This was something that was completely out of character for Megan as her anxiety and ASD would have previously held her back and prevented her from stepping out of her comfort zone.
This amazing transformation could not have been possible without the help and support of Anne, who helped Megan manage her stress and begin to show the fantastic personality that she was hiding.
Megan’s confidence is now so apparent, and she has secured herself a place at College to study Performing Arts.
Megan went from being unable to talk to her peers without suffering from a panic attack, to an active member of the community. She’s more comfortable and confident enough now to stand on a stage in front of a room full of people without her ASD and anxiety getting the best of her.
Since leaving school, Megan has excelled in her college course. Even throughout the hurdles of Covid-19 lockdown, she is doing very well and making the most of working from home. Over Christmas, Megan even took part in a digital pantomime and is making a podcast as part of her drama project. The support from her mentor has helped her find a creative outlet to continue to build her self-esteem and face her future positively.
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