Alex

Alex* was on the fringes of the youth criminal justice system. He was struggling both at home and school and was frequently involved in serious anti-social behaviour in his community.

Alex was referred to Bradford Youth Service’s Breaking The Cycle project. The project sees skilled Youth Workers provide one-to-one support to young people involved in or at risk of serious criminality including urban street gangs, county lines and organised crime.

Alex told his Youth Worker he would like to learn how to fix bikes, including his own, as there was no one else at home who could help him. Alex was referred to our Bradford Bikery at Buchan Towers for our four-week youth mechanic course.

Despite initially being nervous and doubting his own ability, Alex demonstrated a natural understanding of bike mechanics. He responded positively to the hands-on learning approach our instructors take, with tasks broken down into small achievable goals and mistakes seen as opportunities to learn. Alex took great pride in everything he did. He would regularly say to people “do you like my bike, I built it from the ground up!”

Since attending the Bradford Bikery, Alex’s anti-social behaviour has reduced. He’s regularly seen riding his bike on his estate and continues to talk about his time with us and the skills he learnt.

*Names have been changed to protect identities, and the picture has been taken from stock images