For Ridley, the idea of stepping into a workplace felt, in his own words, “scary.” Being unemployed meant he had entire weeks free, but social anxiety and a lack of routine made it difficult to find a way forward. He initially worried that he’d need to be silent all the time or that he’d be expected to know everything from day one. Another concern was that he has “never been good at talking to new people.”
Everything changed when he became a Community Programme participant at The Turing Trust.
Ridley describes the atmosphere here as a “tech club with puzzles, but for a great cause.” Within just a few days, that initial fear vanished. Participating in the programme gave him a reason to get up in the morning leading to a more structured sleep schedule that boosted his overall well-being. He found himself walking into the building with a smile, discovering that his social anxiety became almost non-existent when he was focused on the tech he loves.
One of Ridley’s favorite moments was tackling a mountain of unchecked computers alongside his teammates. From mastering BIOS menus to running data-wiping software, he loved the “fist bump the air” feeling of a script running successfully on a newly refurbished machine. Knowing these computers are heading to schools to empower students’ education gave Ridley a profound sense of purpose too.
The most amazing change, however, is how Ridley feels about people. He went from being worried about interactions to being the person “showing the ropes” to new participants. Working with The Turing Trust made him “realise how much I enjoy working around others.” Later Ridley said that he is “able to talk to co-workers better than I expected, I have been able to feel so confident outside of my home. I have had laughs, I have had great great interactions… I can’t find the words to summarise how much I’ve loved being here. I am most proud of the confidence and joy I have had here. I never expected my mental health to be as good as it became when I had been here for just 2 months compared to the years I’ve struggled with it. It gave me a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to look after myself more, a reason to go out and be excited for the day.”
Ridley is now taking part in a course with The King’s Trust for Cyber Security and is actively looking for an apprenticeship in computing leading to a career where he can fix tech and be an active part of a team.
