The Believe & Achieve event was inspired by one of our young adults who once said: “Living life with a hidden disability is like navigating a dark maze – challenging, but not impossible.”
Similar to the TV game show, our young people played to earn crystals across four themed zones – industrial, futuristic, medieval, and Aztec to earn as much time as possible in the iconic crystal dome. Once in the dome they had a limited time to grab tokens which were being blown around by a pair of enormous fans!
In each zone, skills were tested as players navigated and solved mental and physical trials. Every step of the way they were enthusiastically cheered on by the rest of the Believe & Achieve players.
Our young people worked both as a team and independently, playing to each other’s individual strengths and learning how to think of creative ways to navigate the challenges while often balancing the after-effects of meningitis.
The challenges were a great vehicle for our young people to realise strengths in themselves that they didn’t feel they possessed or felt had been altered after an experience with meningitis.
Some of our young people shared:
- “I have realised that my agility is better than I thought.”
- “I have learnt that I can have the confidence to motivate and be a leader even though I don’t usually see myself like that.”
- “I will challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone and try new things after today.”
After the high-octane morning, our Believe & Achiever’s decamped in the gorgeously lit private event space to celebrate and deepen their connections. They played a game of “Mingle Bingo”, followed by a shared lunch where they talked about the different ways that meningitis has impacted their lives and shared how they navigate the challenges that come with after-effects.
This safe space encouraged two young adults to publicly discuss the life-changing benefits of being involved in our Peer Mentoring scheme for the first time, as well as their successful personal experience of counselling arranged through B&A.
Youth Work Coordinator Mikala Gatley said:
“An experience of meningitis can be so deeply isolating and I think it says a lot about how important and supportive the Believe & Achieve Community is, when you consider that several participants made round trips of 500 miles to join in.
The fact that 100% of participants would love to come back to another event is testament to our young people themselves and the fun and nurturing environment they create for each other. Our young people always have been, and always will be, the success of the programme.”
If you are aged 11-25, with a direct or indirect experience of meningitis then we’d love to hear from you.
Planning is now in full swing for our 11-17 Wellfest event on the 20th of July 2024 so watch this space.
To find out more about events from us check out our website.
