Stephen is a man in his early 20s, kind, full of fun and energy.
A difficult start
Stephen has not had an easy life and due to unfortunate circumstances spent some time in an assessment and treatment centre, away from his family.
Moving to his own home
MacIntyre supported Stephen to move into his own tenancy in Wigan, where his staff team are helping him along the journey towards living more independently and enjoying some favourite hobbies – he’s a big computer games buff.
He’s popular with his staff team, even though he admits he relishes winding them up! He likes a bit of banter, and is always up for a laugh.
Looking for connection
But there’s a wider world outside his home. Stephen was beginning to feel ready for more friendships and involvement. He wanted to find ways to help others.
One of our staff team wondered whether Stephen would like to help out at the local Church, which has a lot of involvement with community cafés and food banks. Stephen went along for an informal meet and greet, which turned into a couple of induction days.
Volunteering
Now he’s been volunteering at the Church since the beginning of December, helping out at community breakfasts, visiting the local garden centre to do food pick-ups and becoming a familiar and popular local face.
His staff team have noticed how much this work has improved his confidence in a very short time. His speech and communication have improved and he is generally more more relaxed.
What it means
We asked Stephen what his volunteer work means to him. This is what he said:
I like to help people it makes me feel good, I also like talking to people and get to know them.
Since he moved into his own place, Stephen has turned from being a young man who was solitary, unsocial and would sit up all night obsessively playing computer games to someone who is thoughtful of others, fun to be with, and who enjoys making connections.
He hasn’t completely turned his back on his computer games though, he’s planning on going and help to run a retro games night we’re holding in Warrington soon.
