Supporting Resilience through Coaching

About Red Balloon Learner Centres

Red Balloon Learner Centres help young people who self-exclude from school, as a result of trauma or other compelling reason, to get back on an academic track and reconnect with society. They have both ‘physical’ Centres and a virtual provision, designed to best meet students’ needs.

Students are at the heart of what they do, and there is an equal focus on mental wellbeing alongside education. Students can negotiate their curriculum to ensure their interests and goals are being met, and their personal development achievements are highly valued. Through engaging with Red Balloon, students can grow as individuals, restore their confidence, develop resilience, and build the skills they need to successfully handle returning to education, work, or further training.

Bullying, abuse, mental health problems or life-long conditions are among the most common causes that lead young people to hide in their bedrooms. There, they isolate themselves from the company of others, from school and from society.  This causes a downward spiral of social isolation, marginalisation, missed education and deteriorating mental ill-health. They become ‘hidden’ at home and their voices are ignored. They risk not finding their place in the adult world.

Red Balloon believes passionately that all young people should have access to a productive and fulfilling life.

What we did

We recognised that the teaching profession were going through unprecedented challenges during Covid-19 particularly during the lockdown periods.  We knew that Red Balloon Learner Centres are used to coping with challenging situations, but the pandemic raised new ones.

Having worked with Red Balloon before, mostly around the facilitation of Trustee meetings, we reached out to find out how we might support the Learner Centres and accepted the opportunity to work with the Head Teachers of four Centres.  The coaching started in January 2021 and continued until the summer break.  We used our knowledge and experience of working through change and building resilience.  We are continuing to support the Head Teachers as demand arises.

Being trustworthy, authentic, and honest are the cornerstones of who we are and what we’re about. Our approach to coaching involves working with the whole person, including physical, mental, social, and emotional health and wellbeing.

Post programme evaluation

Below are comments received following the completion of the initial coaching programme …..

“My coach has helped me gain insight into how my beliefs and values underpin all that I do, and how to take advantage of the skills that stem from them. My coach has helped me consider where I might benefit from looking at a situation from a different perspective and enabled me to do just that.”

“Some days I sit at a desk for long periods of time. When I get home, I get out every evening to either walk the dog or do some form of exercise.”

“I have found mindfulness incredibly helpful in many different situations.”

“My coaching sessions have helped me work towards a better work life balance, reflect on being more empathetic and identified the areas I still need to reflect on: i.e., health and nutrition”

“I have found the sessions incredibly valuable. Having the opportunity to step back from my work and view it from a different perspective, gives me the chance to reflect on my behaviour and actions. It helps me to see where I could make small changes that have a large impact on my productivity and success.”

‘What I found most useful was practicing mindfulness, reflecting on pre-sleep routine and my values”

“The ability to consider situations from a different perspective is an important professional skill.   The support delivered by Illuminate to our Head Teachers during the pandemic was extremely valuable.   The coaching programme provided reassurance and introduced new skills to our senior managers enabling them to fulfil their obligations to their individual Centres and the many young people they support.  We are indebted to Illuminate for their contribution to our Learner Centres, their staff and beneficiaries during these unprecedented times.”

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