Katherine Childs

Katherine Childs, 20, tells us her story one year on.

I was born and raised in Reading. My Nan moved to Reading from St Anne's in Jamaica and my Grandfather from Kingston, Jamaica. So my sisters and I are the third generation to be brought up in Reading.

My life has been tough almost since the get go. I went through something terrible at young age, which left me angry, hating the world and wondering why me? This has stuck with me and is still there. I carried this through my childhood and into my teens. This showed badly in school. I had a lack of respect for people in authority which the teachers got the brunt of. Then my parents got a divorce.

So based on my feelings, I decided to tackle the big bad world. What I found was that I was faced with unemployment and was at a turbulent time in my life. Everything was up in the air. I think the hardest thing for me is that I don't want to fail. I hate showing my vulnerability to people. But I always manage to set myself up for failure because of lack of trust and asking for the help that I really need.

I decided to go onto the Get on Track course. People always ask why I chose the course. I think it's always difficult to ask yourself why you have done something and of course you have done it for a reason. When you have lost sight of your goal obstacles begin to appear in front of you that seem too hard to climb. Then you ask what shall I do to improve my situation? For me it could have been an escape from life, to go on a different journey and see what I might be doing wrong. Going was probably one of the best things I have ever done.

The athlete mentors have become like a second family to me. Each of them has their own talent when it comes to working with young people. I can relate easily with Neil Danns. He comes from a similar family background and he loves to talk! Most importantly he can give advice that sits with you forever. He once told me I should choose my own path rather than listening to other people, because when I look back in 20 or 30 years I want to be able to say yes those were my decisions and I am proud of what I have achieved.

Describing Adam in three words I would say he is a 'natural team leader'. He is passionate about young people and is honest. These are unique qualities and Adam is able to influence people to do better and succeed without pushing people over the edge, which is just as important as some people need that nudge.

Saving the best to last, Jenna can hold her own against the men! Last year's group was 4 females against so many guys. She does not judge a book by its cover, she looks for the best in individuals and she will go out of her way to make sure you're ok. I think people should let her lead more, she clearly has the talent to effectively lead and get results as well.

The Get on Track mentors have taught me more about my qualities and how I can use them in every day life, and to believe and trust in my own decisions.

I think the charity can hold the heads high and say they are actually improving young adult's lives, even if it's that tiny bit of courage and confidence they give to someone.

After a lot of thought I finally applied for a role as a Special Constable with Thames Valley Police. I don't know if it's where I want to be long term but I am supporting my community and doing something positive.

I have met wonderful people from training who give their time to support our communities.
I hope to get onto an Access to Higher Education course and for Uni next year, so fingers crossed. And finding work at the moment is like finding a needle in the hay stack. If anything Get on Track has taught me is to keep fighting for what you want and hopefully it will pay off.

I hate speaking about myself, I try and skip it. How do I feel...? I believe I have a lot of things to work through which have troubled me for years and hinder me in my life currently, but it will always be there.

I am blessed with wonderful family. I hope one day I will be free, and maybe not of all obstacles other wise I wouldn't be living just existing in the world. But as Destiny Child song says 'I'm a survivor'.

In the future I would love to become a teacher and travel the world and hopefully work in countries with children who are not as fortunate as me.