Vivien is an active member of the Social Justice club at Bishop Douglass Catholic School. “In my life, in school and outside of school, I was mistreated for being different,” she tells us. “I know how it feels to be alone and I don’t want anyone else to feel that way. That’s why I participate in the Social Justice club.”
Supporting Vivien through tutoring
Vivien is being tutored in English Literature. “I find it very useful,” she explains. “It helps me not just in English but also helps me become more social and helps with my communication skills.” In the time that she has been working with her tutor she has improved her grade from a 5 to an 8.
Vivien gets on very well with her tutor. “She has an open mind and she’s very understanding. She doesn’t take stuff too seriously – she can take a joke and that helps me to feel relaxed around her.”
Learning during the pandemic
Learning during the pandemic has been a real challenge for young people across the country. “In the first lockdown, like everyone else I faced boredom,” Vivien told us. “But in the last lockdown I stopped taking care of myself. I also felt very lonely all the time – we only had online classes. My parents were working all the time. It took a toll on my mental and physical health.”
Vivien found solace in realising that she wasn’t alone in feeling this way. “I realised other people felt the same. I didn’t feel so alone then, and that was great.”
She did feel that her education was impacted by the numerous lockdowns. “My grades did drop, but then I found help from The Access Project and that helped me bring my grades back up.”
A bright future for Vivien
Vivien has dreams of making the world a better place in her future. “I want to keep up with activism,” she says. “I want to help people.” At the moment she is looking at graphic design and illustration as an area she’d be interested in working.