Roundabout has found that the majority of young people who leave home do so due to a breakdown in family relationships and difficulties at home. For Dajae, life at home became so stressful that it began to affect her studies, leading to her leaving college before gaining her qualifications.
Roundabout supported Dajae to move into her own property in 2017 and once she was getting back on her feet, she spoke to Roundabout’s Employment and Skills Worker, Rowena, and decided that she’d like to pursue a career in Beauty. Rowena helped Dajae to apply for the course at a local college and also accompanied her to meet the course leader.
Dajae says, “I was so happy to be starting a new course and was so grateful for Rowena’s help. I finally felt settled and able to take the first step towards starting a new career as a Beauty Therapist.”
As a requirement from the Job Centre, Dajae needed to complete a certain amount of job searching a week, but she was finding this challenging to do whilst she was completing her Beauty course.
Rowena offered Dajae additional support, dedicating time to complete job searching with Dajae once a week, to help her get into a routine. Together, they composed a CV for Dajae to help her see where her skills lay, and when Dajae was studying, Rowena continued to look for job vacancies that would be suitable for her skills and sent her CV to potential employers.
Alongside this, Rowena explained to Dajae the advantage of meeting employers face to face to hand in her CV in person, but Dajae lacked confidence to do this alone.
“I felt really nervous about walking into shops and businesses to meet employers on my own, so Rowena came with me” says Dajae. “We made a list of who was recruiting at a local shopping centre, and then I took my CV in to lots of different shops with Rowena waiting for me outside. Knowing she was there made a huge difference, but I’m really proud that I managed to go in the shop on my own!”
A week later, Dajae found that she’d been successful in gaining an interview for a temporary job for the Christmas period. After gaining confidence in her own ability, she went along to the interview and was consequently offered the job.
Dajae says, “I’m so thankful for all the help I’ve had, it really means a lot to me. I feel like I couldn’t have done it without Rowena – she listened to what I wanted to do in the future, helped me access a course and then helped me find a job.”
Dajae successfully passed her Level 3 Nail Technology course, meaning she’s one step closer to her career goal of being a Beauty Therapist! She was practicing her nail skills on her Mum and cousin but since the lockdown, has purchased a training hand so she can continue to build her skill.
“Dajae is doing so well with her new passion and is also rebuilding relationships with her family,” says Rowena. “I feel very proud of Dajae and all she’s accomplished. She has grown in confidence and I’m so pleased for her. All her hard work and dedication is really paying off and she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Dajae says, “I would advise anyone my age who is struggling and feels like they’re alone to contact Roundabout. The people there are very friendly, understanding and supportive. If it wasn’t for the help I got, my life probably wouldn’t have turned out the way it has. I’m really excited for my future!”
Roundabout supports 250 young people like Dajae every single day. Please consider making a donation today, to help us be there for young people at risk of homelessness in South Yorkshire.