Mollies journey from WeDiscover to The Princes Trust

Last Wednesday was a special afternoon for one of our previous WeDiscover Gappies, Mollie, who was graduating from The Prince’s Trust Team programme! Our WeDiscover lead, Laura and Mollie’s mentor, Alex were delighted to attend the ceremony to celebrate Mollie’s achievements, alongside seven others.

Beginning WeMindTheGap’s virtual WeDiscover programme in Autumn 2021, Mollie was struggling to leave the house, and worried about turning her camera on during Zoom sessions. In completing the programme in December, Mollie’s confidence had grown dramatically, she had loved meeting new people and felt ready to take her next steps. We accompanied Mollie to find out more about The Prince’s Trust Team programme in Ellesmere Port.

The Prince’s Trust Team programme, delivered by Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service is a natural progression for individuals having engaged with WeDiscover, taking the skills introduced in a virtual setting and expanding comfort zones further by participating in person activities, such as a community project at Frodsham Youth Centre, a work placement and a one-week residential trip. When we told Mollie about this opportunity, she leapt at the chance, keen to build on the momentum she had begun with WeDiscover.

Throughout her time with The Prince’s Trust, our team were kept updated on Mollie’s progress, thrilled to hear that she was loving every minute of it. In attending the Graduation ceremony, Laura and Alex were blown away by Mollie’s growth, maturity, resilience and gratitude for having referred her. During the afternoon, we heard from the High Sheriff of Cheshire, the Chair of the Cheshire Fire Authority, and the graduates themselves.

Mollie rounded off the speeches from the graduates by speaking excellently in front of a room of almost a hundred people, thanking WeDiscover and The Prince’s Trust for helping her get to where she is now.

Mollies Mum, Sue, shared this message with us after graduation. “WeDiscover is a wonderful and engaging programme that has helped my daughter immeasurably in so many ways!
With the support and encouragement of an amazing team, Mollie’s confidence has grown massively. She is confident, happy, positive, and able to focus on her next steps in life. Mollie really enjoyed taking part in the programme and it was lovely to hear her chatting and getting involved with others on the team. I’m so pleased she was lucky enough to have taken part… thanks to a fabulous team.

Now, Mollie is excited to have been offered a role with Suit Direct, where she completed her work experience. As a team, we’re so proud of the determination that she has shown and know that Mollie will be an incredible ambassador for WeMindTheGap and an inspirational role model for other young people.