“Before Spear, I was in a really bad place. I was in a really toxic relationship and I was distancing myself from my friends and family. It made me feel lonely and isolated. It took a really big toll on my anxiety and my mental state to the point where I didn’t want to leave my house. I couldn’t get on the bus by myself, and I just didn’t want to go out in general.

My nan and my family friends supported me through it all and I’m so appreciative of that. I found out about Spear because my nan dragged me to the Job Centre, to find out what next steps I could take. We spoke about how about bad my anxiety and lack of confidence was, and that’s when we found out about Spear.

A few days later, I had a phone call from [my coach] Fleur and that’s where my journey with Spear began. At the first session, my goals were so low. The first goal I set was to just get myself there by myself. The first week I had my nan drop me off, but then the second week I managed to get on the bus by myself and I was really proud of myself.

The first session was really awkward – none of us spoke. We were just so quiet. But by the end of the programme, we were doing a wall squat activity to see how long we could stay up, for a bag of Mini Eggs!

My highlight was definitely the mock interview process that we had. I got such good feedback. I took it all into consideration, and it made me feel so empowered and confident in my skills and the potential that I have.

After Spear, I’m focusing my goals on my future. I’m going back to college to complete my science course, and until then, actively applying for retail jobs to keep up my communication with people and to build up my confidence more. Hopefully, by May next year I’ll be doing a police apprenticeship, and then finally I really want to be a crime scene investigator.

I want to say thank you to everyone who supported us through all of this process, and to the other trainees too. We’ve all built a bond with each other, we are really close friends and it’s inspiring how we support and motivate each other.”

Kamira completed the Spear Programme at Spear Bristol in April 2023. At the time of writing, Kamira is studying forensics at college and working in a coffee shop. She is not pictured.