When Alex Driscoll was born, he was diagnosed with a brain condition.
He grew up unable to communicate or balance very well, and by the time he was 10 life was increasingly difficult to navigate.
Alex, who lives in Bristol, was the target of bullies throughout his childhood and once had a bag thrown at him so hard it fractured his hand.
As he entered his teens, life did not improve. Alex was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes – and he suffered more bullying as a result.
Feeling desperate to fit in with people at school, Alex started drinking. But the youngster, who is now 19, ended up in hospital with alcohol poisoning.
He said: “My grades at school slipped and I ended up failing my A Levels. I spent months applying for jobs and apprenticeships but didn’t get anywhere.”
Alex was at the JobCentre Plus when someone from The Prince’s Trust told him about a programme the charity runs in Bristol called ‘Get into’.
The programme is designed for young people age between 16 and 30 to get training to move into a job.
So Alex, embarked on the Get into Retail course.
He said: “It sounded good, but I worried about meeting new people, talking to customers and whether my diabetes would get in my way. But at the same time, I wanted to learn and push myself, so I did.
“The course was brilliant. I felt more confident every day and at the end of the course was offered part-time work.
“Thanks to The Prince’s Trust I no longer feel like a waste of space. I have a full-time job at House of Fraser and I feel proud, not ashamed, of who I am.”
In October Alex won the Delta Air Lines Rising Star Award at The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense South West Awards 2018.
"It is now time for businesses to step in and support"
The Prince’s Trust, which has its South West headquarters in Bristol, runs a number of training and employability programmes.
So far this year, the Trust has hosted nine Explore Enterprise courses, which support young people into self-employment.
This is nearly half of the amount of enterprise courses run in the whole of the South West region.
A number of successful businesses in Bristol have been founded as result of receiving support from The Prince’s Trust.
Frances Ondoro set up recruitment business True Positive (formerly Hero Talent), while Dan Levy launched Eat A Pitta, which now has a number of shops across the city.
Mike Beesley, chief executive of Bristol-based recruitment firm RSG and chair of The Prince’s Trust South West Development Committee, says the region’s businesses are doing “a huge amount” to help The Prince’s Trust deliver its “life-changing” programmes.
But he believes now is the time for businesses to “step in and support”, not just through fundraising but from an infrastructure perspective too.
He said: “Creating employable, mobile and confident young people means economic security and strength for our region."
The Prince’s Trust South of England director Rozzy Amos added: “The business community has a considerable impact on The Prince’s Trust outreach to young people in Bristol, providing opportunities and helping to develop their confidence and skills."
Businesses and philanthropists from across the South West will unite in Bristol tomorrow, Thursday 8 November, to help raise vital funds for young people across the region.
The Prince’s Trust's seventh Red Dinner, which is being held at Aerospace Bristol, is aiming to raise £130,000 to fund projects that will benefit young people in the region.
According to The Prince’s Trust Youth Index 2018 - an annual research report on the wellbeing of the UK’s young people - the happiness and confidence of young people in Britain is at its lowest levels since the survey began in 2009.
One in four working young people feel trapped in a cycle of jobs they don’t want, and while 73 per cent think they are capable of getting a better job, many are held back by low confidence and a lack of opportunities to develop their skills.
All the money raised from the Red Dinner will go towards helping young people develop confidence and skills to improve their career prospects.
Mike added: “The Trust needs our support more than ever. All the figures show that things are tough for young people at the moment so it’s incredibly important that we unite to make sure they can access as many opportunities as possible both now and in the future."