Linval Shepherd, vTalentYear, Oxfordshire County Council

“The foyer and vTalentYear took a chance on me. They’ve made me determined to prove that I’m more than a criminal record.”

Linval, now 22, was brought up in London until he was 15. He has experienced various difficulties in his life, and has been in prison three times.

'My mum was being beaten up by my sister's dad, and she took us to Oxfordshire, where she came from. She didn’t tell me we were moving for good.  Now I see she had to get away, but I was really angry then, I'd lost everything I knew.'

Linval was out of school for several months, and then went into year 10, made friends and gained seven GCSEs, including two Cs in science:

“I enjoyed science and got on well with the teacher, but I struggled with the written work. It was only when I went to prison that I found out I was dyslexic. Before that I just thought I was thick.”

After school, Linval worked as a labourer and decided he wanted to become a bricklayer. He completed an E2E course and then did an apprenticeship in bricklaying.  But things were going wrong in other ways. ‘I was mixing with the wrong crowd and drinking and taking drugs. When I drank I’d get into fights, and I ended up in prison.’ 

He had nearly completed his apprenticeship when he went to prison for the third time.
 
“It was my fault but it was for something really pathetic. But I’d breached my tag, so I went back to prison, and spent my 21st birthday there. I realised I could spend the rest of my life in and out of prison.”

By this time Linval's mother had died and he was homeless. He knew he needed to change and gained a place at Abingdon Foyer.

“Abingdon Foyer took a risk and offered me a place on a final warning – if I messed up I'd be out. It had rules about friends, so this helped me break away from my old friends. I made new friends, people who wanted to do something with their lives. The foyer feels like a family.”

Once living at the foyer, Linval took part in a range of activities, based the action plan he developed with his support worker.

“They help me work out what I want and what I need to do. They make me want to learn and change. I've had courses to help me manage my anger and my drinking, and I can now have a drink without getting into fights.”

His support worker encouraged him to attend an open day for the vTalentYear programme, and he is now working as a full-time volunteer at Abingdon Youth Centre. 

“It was awkward at first, because I used to come here and make trouble so I had a reputation. But the staff have accepted me, and I feel like one of the team. Andy [the youth worker] realised that I wanted to change.”

“I do different activities with young people, but can also use my experiences to help them. When I talk about prison I’ll stress how boring it is, not that it’s scary, so they don’t think they’ll get kudos for being hard. I’m not here as a mate, but as a worker. I’ll challenge them if I have to. I’m mixed heritage and you get racism here, it’s ignorance, so I’ll help them think about things like language. I had to split up a fight and was proud of how I did it. Being given responsibility builds up my confidence step by step.”

Linval has already gained various qualifications through the foyer and E2E programme, and will gain a level 2 qualification in community volunteering through vTalent. When he completes the programme, he aims to get a job as a youth support worker:

“I’m well known in Abingdon, but now I’m known for the right things. If I can help someone not go down the same path, then my experiences haven’t been wasted.”

About vTalentYear

During 2009-11, Oxfordshire County Council will offer 30 volunteers aged 16 to 25 full-time placements for 44 weeks in children’s services through the vTalentYear programme. Volunteers also take part in a learning programme – including fortnightly study days combining team-building, challenge and fun - to gain a level 2 certificate in community volunteering. Volunteers receive a weekly allowance while on the programme, plus advice and financial support to go on to further education and training afterwards. 

The programme coordinator is based in the Participation and Play Team of the Children, Young People and Families Directorate. She believes that this helps it operate broadly across the council, rather than becoming entrenched in a single service. The programme is also seen as an integral part of the county’s final Integrated Youth Support Service plan, in recognition of its success in re-engaging young people. 
Volunteers are currently placed across the directorate, including youth services, Connexions, children’s centres and disability and special needs services.

Critical success factors

•  Attention paid to matching placements to young people’s interests.
•  Ongoing support for young people from the coordinator and other adults, and from other young people through a common learning programme.
•  Not giving up on young people – offering them a third and fourth chance providing this does not put anyone else at risk.
  Contact

Shelley Maxfield, vTalentYear coordinator.
Tel: 01865 256644. Email: shelley.maxfield@oxfordshire.gov.uk