By Lou Cunningham
A parent has teamed up with charity Team Daniel to deliver GCSE revision sessions in Armley.
Team Daniel is a Leeds charity which was established in 2017 by the family of Daniel Oliver, who they lost when he took his own life due to the stress he was under because of his GCSE exams.
The charity campaigns constantly and fundraises to raise awareness of the support needed for young people and their mental health. Just one strand of this is the establishing of a GCSE revision hub in Gildersome.
Armley mum Jo Gittins found that there was nowhere for her own daughter to get support with revision and homework outside of school.
She recognised the need for this help and started some initial revision sessions in Armley at a small hub.
After establishing a network of volunteers and seeing the growing need for this provision Jo approached Team Daniel to combine efforts. This led to the formation a brand new GSCSE revision group at Christ Church Upper Armley.
This is a free group with access to laptops and wi-fi.
Team Daniel provides a regular tutor and lots of revision materials and resources, including books and stationary. There are also snacks and refreshments available throughout the session.
The revision session is already proving to be popular amongst the volunteers and the pupils themselves.
Grace, a regular attendee, said: “I get worried about Maths and science… here I am able to work on things and can concentrate better. There are people to help and we can help each other.”
Two of the volunteer helpers Nicki Watkinson and Claire Murphy spoke about the importance of communicating and supporting each other, saying “education is so important and additional help can get people to where they want to be”.
Jo added: “I’d like to ask everyone to spread the word about the hub.
“I genuinely believe it will make such a difference in our area, especially for those who have struggled with their mental health or other problems. This is about more than exams; it’s about giving them the self-belief they need to achieve their best.
“And if they’re already doing well, they can come for the social interaction or enhance their knowledge by helping others.”
The Armley Revision Hub is on a Wednesday 6.30-8pm in Christ Church, on Armley Ridge Road.
The session is free and open to any young people in the LS12 area who are studying for their GCSEs.
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