The GRIT Difference.
Recognition & Celebration
Since 2018, GRIT has supported approximately 1,500 young people. We have met some incredible people during that time who have gone on to reduce their symptoms, complete college and university courses, become paramedics, become our young person trustee and become mentors within our Peer Mentoring Programme.
One thing we are very proud of at GRIT is the impact our Four Corners Method has not only on the young person, but their wider community.
Here is some of the feedback we have received from young people, their parents/carers and the professionals that support them.
I really enjoyed GRIT it was the only thing I looked forward to in the week, and it’s quite amazing how different I look at certain situations and try and help not to be a part of a bad situation.
A young person
GRIT has been great for me, I went from not wanting to come to the sessions to wanting to come every week and enjoying it so much. GRIT has helped me to become more confident in myself and help me to start believing in myself again, I will be eternally grateful
A young person
I have become more confident in myself and I have pride in the things I achieve and I don’t care what others’ think of me anymore. I’ve also seen a big improvement in my mood and these sessions have really helped me
A young person
Mentoring has helped me understand myself more. Sometimes, talking with my mentee actually helps me make sense of things too. The more I mentor, the more I learn about who I am.
A young person
We don’t know what the future holds, but early intervention has meant this is being dealt with in the first 6 months of becoming an issue, rather than waiting until unhealthy behaviours become entrenched and normalised, which would have serious health implications and potentially necessitate more resource-intensive and longer term interventions. Thank you again for this helpful and potentially trajectory-changing support
A parent
I asked X how she felt about how GRIT has helped her, she said it has made her feel more confident in social situations and she feels she can now make friends more easily and she is feeling more confident in social spaces.
A parent
I feel like I have my daughter back, she is happy again and talkative instead of the shadow of herself that would sit in silence staring into space, obviously she still has episodes but I feel we can talk about them now and her panic attacks seem to have fizzled out, you can see she still has issues sometimes but she has learnt how to deal with them better.
A parent
We can't thank you enough for the work you are all doing at Grit. X is so much happier even though she's had lots of negative things happening, she keeps coming out fighting and she definitely wants to continue with boxing in the future. She was so ready to benefit from the programme when she signed up so thank you all so much.
A parent
We really, really appreciate everything you guys have done for X and indeed for the many other teenagers who walk through your doors. It's not easy being a teen these days and it's wonderful that they have somewhere safe and encouraging like GRIT to go to when life is tricky.
A carer
With increasing challenges to student health and wellbeing and reduced external services, we welcome GRIT’s support in building resilience and personal skills. Their 1:1 and group offerings have a positive impact, and their professionalism, confidentiality, and partnership are invaluable to our school.
A Deputy Head
Having GRIT as an established coaching service alongside the peer mentoring programme has made a huge difference. Research shows that when young people talk to their peers about their wellbeing, it often has a greater impact than when they talk to adults. One of the real strengths of this programme is that it’s owned by the students themselves, and that adds so much value.
Assistant Head
The coaching service delivered in school is proving an invaluable service for our students. The programme is flexible meaning students have continuity outside term time too, and they appreciate the flexible approach of support being student-led alongside trained coaches. We can quantify a measure of success in that most students who complete the coaching move forward independently with little continued pastoral intervention. For the lesser number of students that need further support, the coaches communicate closely with staff sharing valued guidance & professional opinion on most appropriate next steps. This type of intervention is particularly useful at a time when a lot of the students accessing the Pastoral Team don't want/need a deep-level intervention such as counselling, but rather a consistent & guided approach to reach goals – identifying strategies, learning ways to implement them to achieve goals and evaluating with coaches what works or not.
Pastoral Lead
In my 16 years at Highfield, I’ve done a lot of training courses, but the GRIT Four Corners training really stands out for me. Training both staff and students to deliver the same consistent message has been a simple, empowering and incredibly effective approach.
Pastoral Lead
Not every young person feels ready to speak to a counsellor or start therapy. Sometimes that can feel like too big a step. Peer mentoring, alongside GRIT’s coaching service, offers a gentler first step. It gives young people space to reflect, feel heard, and build trust. From there, they’re more likely to take the next step and talk more openly about how they feel. This layered approach helps ensure no one falls through the gaps.
An Assistant Head, Fearnhill School
The 1:1 coaching and group sessions being delivered to [our school] is proving an invaluable service for our students. We can quantify a measure of success in that most students who complete their coaching sessions move forward independently with little continued pastoral intervention. For the lesser number of students that need further support, the coaches communicate closely with staff sharing valued guidance and their professional opinion on most appropriate next steps. [The coach] works quite autonomously with our students, but never hesitates to communicate with staff swiftly where necessary for the best outcomes. This type of intervention is particularly useful at a time when a lot of the students accessing the Pastoral Team don't want or need a deep-level intervention such as counselling, but rather a consistent and guided approach to reach goals – identifying strategies, learning ways to implement them to achieve their goals and evaluating with coaches what works or not.
A teacher
I bring students down from Knights Templar school to attend the GRIT Programme and the change in some of the students is incredible, one has taken up boxing and has a fight coming up, and others have more control over their anger as well as taking responsibility for their actions. I’ve also seen an increase in confidence in some, it’s a fantastic project and a great opportunity for young people.
A teacher
The training from GRIT has been invaluable and has made the mentorship programme in our school different to those we have tried before in the past. The Four Corners approach has been embedded into our school culture rather than being a service that is provided one minute, and gone the next.
A teacher from Highfield School, Letchworth
The training students and staff have undergone through the GRIT Mentoring Programme has been invaluable. Having GRIT as an established coaching service alongside the peer mentoring programme has made a huge difference. Research shows that when young people talk to their peers about their wellbeing, it often has a greater impact than when they talk to adults. One of the real strengths of this programme is that it’s owned by the students themselves, and that adds so much value.
A teacher, Fearnhill School
The change in some of the students is incredible, one has taken up boxing and has a fight coming up, and others have more control over their anger as well as taking responsibility for their actions. I’ve also seen an increase in confidence in some, it’s a fantastic project and a great opportunity for young people.
A school
It has been such an impactful provision and we look forward to working with you again next year.
A school