Often we hear stories that go way beyond the feedback of
‘I had a good time with Culture Shift’.
These ‘shift stories’ demonstrate the very real, positive change we often see in people we work with and the impact experienced through Culture Shift activity.
These stories describe the impact better than we can!
Val
a Carers O’clock SH!FT story
"I just want to say thank you. It’s been 2 days since Carers O’clock and I still feel good. I generally feel so low. I wake up in the mornings and I just feel so sad. Carers O’clock keeps me going.
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10 years ago, my husband was brought home from hospital, he was returned to me utterly and totally broken. It was my job and still is to put him back together little and little and piece by piece. My life was put on hold. Mentally and physically broken the patience I had to dig deep for began to surface, he cried, I cried, I sang, he cried. It has been gruelling, and we are nowhere near the end of our tunnel. Carers O’clock is the light. It shines through my life, helps me keep my head above water, it allows hope, laughter and joy into my life.
It’s the day, the whole day! Sitting talking, sharing in the morning. Lunch, the delicious lunch and the cakes. Oh, and when that table cover comes out, the excitement and anticipation I feel in my chest, the craft, dear Jen, has changed my life, she makes the craft accessible and fun, she gives us the confidence to have a go, it’s the process, it’s all about the process.
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Wall to wall joy, I don’t get that anywhere else, we are so lucky to have the opportunity to be given the confidence to be creative. It allows me to cope with everything else in my life. You come away at the end of the day with a positivity of resilience.
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I was thinking this morning how am I going to prioritize, but it’s the whole package. The lunch, eating with other people, not having to cook and getting to sit and chat with others whilst eating. That’s so important to me, I have spent years eating alone. I didn’t realise until I started coming to Carers O’clock just how important it is and how much I had missed sharing a meal with other people.
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Carers O’clock has given me the confidence to craft at home, so when I am feeling overwhelmed, I can retreat into my room and spend time creating something."
"Carers O’clock is the light. It shines through my life, helps me keep my head above water, it allows hope, laughter and joy into my life."
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Sandra
a BOBS in Sussex SH!FT story
"Being Our Best Selves is always something we look forward to! When we get to BOBS there's always a warm welcome. So many smiling faces, if you are having a down day you are instantly uplifted.
Some of our guys are really quite quiet but even they have really opened up and their confidence levels of some of them in particular have gone sky high and we are able to move that forward in our lives back home.
My first experience of BOBS was in lockdown, when I was asked to do it with the residents where I was working. I wasn't very happy and I didn't feel I had a lot of support from work. The things we talked about to empower yourself to make change things about feeling good about yourself. It made me realise that I wasn't happy and it gave me the power and confidence to change my job which I did, and now I work at Baronsmead which I absolutely love!”
"So many smiling faces. If you are having a down day you are instantly uplifted."
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Josh
a BOBS Kickstart SH!FT story
Before attending the BOBS course, I struggled with going outside my house by myself. I didn’t have the confidence to leave the house on my own, even to put something in the bin. I had friends that I would speak to on the phone and online, but struggled to meet them in person.
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I felt anxious and worried about the course as I didn’t know what to expect.
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The Culture Shift team were friendly and welcoming. I had a lot of fun. Within 15 minutes I felt more relaxed and at ease. They helped me explore barriers and gave helpful tips and tools to overcome things like procrastination and poor sleep patterns.
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After 3 sessions I felt a lot more confident leaving the house and meeting up with friends. Although I’m still experiencing anxiety, I can recognise it for what it is and manage it. I would definitely recommend these workshops to other young people.
"After 3 sessions I felt a lot more confident leaving the house and meeting up with friends. Although I’m still experiencing anxiety, I can recognise it for what it is and manage it."
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