Our stories
We treat every young person as an individual, with their own story, experiences and aspirations.
Our approach is about building trusted relationships, listening without judgement and walking alongside young people for as long as they need us. Sometimes that means helping someone find a home, secure a job or rebuild a family relationship. Sometimes it means simply being the person who keeps showing up.
When JT first came to Pure Insight, he wouldn’t leave his flat. Today, he is helping others to find connection, confidence and purpose.
Years of broken trust with professionals had left JT deeply reluctant to engage. It took months of patient relationship-building before he felt comfortable enough to step outside.
Rather than pushing JT into support he wasn’t ready for, our team worked at his pace. We started with small things – helping him cook on a budget and taking time to understand what he enjoyed.
Then we discovered something that changed everything - JT loved the outdoors.
Walking, cycling and exploring new places gave him an opportunity to build confidence in a way that felt natural to him. Through our outdoor activities, he began connecting with other young people and gradually discovered a sense of belonging.
Today, JT attends most of our activities, suggests new places for the group to explore and is planning to climb a mountain with his new friends.
From someone who once wouldn’t open his door, JT has become someone others can rely on. He is thriving.
Meet JT
From isolation, to finding connection and purpose.
When Saffie met Pure Insight, she was facing eviction, debt, unemployment and an unsafe home life. The first step was simply building trust.
At 19, Saffie was facing multiple challenges and had struggled to engage with services. Her experiences had left her deeply mistrustful of agencies and overwhelmed by situations that many people take for granted.
Our mentor coordinator took a trust-first approach. Rather than immediately asking Saffie to talk about the most difficult parts of her life, they began by helping with the practical things that mattered most to her.
Within just four weeks, Pure Insight had successfully advocated for Saffie’s tenancy to be renewed. A repayment plan was put in place for her rent arrears, and she had a clearer way forward with her debts.
As trust grew, Saffie began developing strategies to manage her emotions and navigate situations that had previously felt overwhelming. She was matched with a volunteer mentor, Liz, who supported her with budgeting and cooking while encouraging her to build friendships through the Pure Insight café.
Most importantly, Saffie gradually felt safe enough to talk about the domestic abuse she was experiencing and begin exploring what a healthy relationship could look like.
Her journey is a powerful reminder that progress starts with trust – and that sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply be there.
“Thank you for coming with me to these stressful meetings, and for being such a supportive person I can count on.”
Meet Saffie
Building trust, independence and confidence.
With the right support, Sam has moved away from offending, rebuilt important relationships and developed a better understanding of himself.
We began working with Sam when he was 18. He was experiencing challenges with communication, emotional regulation and executive functioning, and had become involved with the criminal justice system.
At the heart of our work was the relationship between Sam and his mentor coordinator. Together, they worked on practical routines, including managing probation appointments, while our mental health practitioner helped Sam understand his emotions, relationships and triggers.
Sam began to recognise the connection between alcohol, difficult social situations and his offending behaviour. He learned to recognise the early signs that he was becoming anxious, overwhelmed or threatened – and developed strategies to step away before situations escalated.
The changes have been significant. Sam successfully completed his probation and has had no police contact for over a year. He has rebuilt his relationship with his cousin and his mother, chooses not to drink because he understands the impact it can have on him, and is successfully managing his tenancy.
Perhaps most importantly, Sam has developed a greater sense of self-awareness and acceptance.
His story shows how trusted relationships and the right support can help someone break patterns that once felt impossible to change.
Meet Sam
Developing healthier relationships and moving away from offending.
Three years after first meeting Pure Insight, Lotte has rebuilt her confidence, developed career aspirations and taken huge steps towards rebuilding her relationship with her daughter.
Lotte experienced significant trauma during her childhood and was taken into care at a young age. When she first met Pure Insight at 19, she was extremely isolated and had severely restricted contact with her young daughter, Amelie.
Over the following three years, Lotte accessed a range of support from Pure Insight, including mentoring, education and employment support, counselling and specialist parenting support.
But at the heart of her progress was Lotte herself – her resilience, determination and unwavering commitment to her daughter.
Her relationship with volunteer mentor Beth grew gradually. Walks, trips to the garden centre and time spent watching birds by the river became opportunities for Lotte to build confidence and experience the companionship she had often lacked.
That support grew into a genuine friendship. This year, they even travelled to London together to see a show.
At the same time, Lotte began thinking differently about her future. With support from our Employment, Education and Training (EET) coach, she enrolled on a health and wellbeing course, went on to pursue nursing and secured a training role at her local hospital.
Our counsellor also supported Lotte to make positive changes to her wellbeing, including improving her sleep, exercising regularly and achieving greater financial stability. Her anxiety reduced significantly and she stopped using cannabis.
And then came one of the biggest milestones of all. After extensive parenting support, mediation and legal advocacy, a final court order gave Lotte regular weekly contact with Amelie, including overnight stays.
Meet Lotte
Building confidence, career aspirations and family relationships.
For some young people, progress might look like attending their first appointment. For another, it might be learning to manage money, travelling independently, starting a course, rebuilding a relationship or simply finding the confidence to walk through the front door.
Our mentoring programme is built around consistent, trusted relationships, with volunteer mentors providing regular support over a minimum of two years. For young people facing more complex challenges, we can bring together teams of mentors and specialist support around them.
The results show the difference this approach can make.
In 2025–26, 369 young people received support through our mentoring programme, with 93% showing an overall improvement across the outcomes they were assessed on.
What change really looks like
Want to see the difference our work makes?
Our 2025–26 Impact Report brings together the stories, achievements, experiences and evidence behind our work over the past year.
Help create more stories of change
Your support helps us provide the trusted relationships, practical support and opportunities that enable care-experienced young people to move forward with confidence.