From Young Carer to Trusted Mentor and Community Leader

Jake Richardson-Fowles — Music Mentor, Practical Skills Tutor and Project Leader at Underdog Crew Studios

My story is one of resilience, responsibility and the power of finding the right environment after years of carrying too much too young.

I came to Underdog Crew Studios as one of its original day-one members. I arrived through referral from Action for Family Carers, carrying the lived experience of being a young carer. While many teenagers are focused on school, friendships, independence and discovering who they are, I was also carrying responsibilities at home that most young people should never have to shoulder alone.

Being a young carer can change the shape of a childhood. It can mean growing up too quickly, worrying constantly, missing out on ordinary teenage experiences, and trying to balance education with the emotional and practical needs of family life. It can also be isolating. Young carers often become very good at appearing as though they are coping, even when they are exhausted, anxious or overwhelmed inside.

For me, those pressures were made even harder by my own additional needs. I have Tourette's and ADHD, both of which can make mainstream education difficult when the right understanding and support are not in place. Tourette's can bring unwanted attention, misunderstanding and social discomfort. ADHD can affect concentration, organisation, emotional regulation and the ability to manage rigid systems. In the wrong environment, these differences can easily be misread as poor behaviour, lack of effort or failure to engage.

My Tourette's blighted my journey through the education system. Daily bullying became the centre of my story, turning school into a place of stress, humiliation and survival rather than safety, learning and growth. Instead of being properly protected and understood, I was too often left carrying the emotional weight of other people's cruelty and ignorance.

My education was disrupted by my caring responsibilities and the challenges I was living with. I attended Thomas Lord Audley School, St Helena School and Colchester Institute, but like many young people whose lives do not fit neatly into the expected school pathway, my journey through education was not simple.

The anger and despair that grew from my experiences did not disappear when school ended. They continued deep into self-loathing and an anger that I freely admit placed great strain on my parents. That anger was not random. It was the understandable result of years of being bullied, misunderstood, marginalised and left to carry pain without the right kind of help. It is an anger that lives within many marginalised SEN young people as they navigate their way through early adult life.

For some young people, traditional therapy can feel unhelpful, inaccessible or too clinical. It can be difficult to sit in a room and talk through pain when what you really need first is safety, trust, belonging and something practical to hold on to.

In my case, healing began the day I entered Underdog Crew Studios.

They instantly chilled me. They gave me access to the music studio and guitars. They gave me respect, zero judgement, and a conversation that has now become the basis of how I talk to new members myself.

It was something like, "We are all the same. We've all been let down by life, but it stops now. What kind of happy do you want?"

I remember thinking, wow — these people truly get me.

They supported my love of music. They helped me get into college. They gave me routes towards self-employment and showed me that my future did not have to be defined by what had happened to me.

Regular fishing trips, rural activities and camps with the crew taught me how to slow down, how to breathe, and how to see myself differently. They helped me reframe my worth, my identity and the opportunities that were still available to me.

That first day changed the direction of my story. I was not met with suspicion, judgement or a list of things I had done wrong. I was met with calm, humour, honesty and respect. I was given access to the music studio and guitars — not as a reward after proving myself, but as a sign of trust. I was treated as someone worth investing in.

That mattered.

For me, the music studio became more than a room. It became a lifeline. The fishing trips, rural activities and camps became more than days out. They became lessons in slowing down, breathing, talking, waiting, listening and seeing myself differently. Through those experiences, I began to understand that I was not broken beyond repair. I was someone who had been hurt, misunderstood and pushed to the edge — but I was also someone with humour, talent, kindness, loyalty, practical skill and a future.

At Underdog Crew, I began to grow.

Music became one of the strongest routes into my confidence. Guitar, music performance, drum circles, band development and creative sessions gave me a way to express myself, connect with others and develop skills that felt meaningful. Over time, I moved from taking part in music activities to helping run them. I became a regular presence in the music studio, supporting workshops, encouraging younger members and helping others discover the confidence that I myself was building.

For many young people who have experienced disrupted education, caring responsibilities or neurodivergence, confidence cannot be rebuilt through lectures or pressure. It is rebuilt through repeated experiences of being trusted. Someone gives you a task. You complete it. Someone asks for your help. You realise you have something to offer. Someone younger looks up to you. You begin to see yourself differently.

That is what happened with me.

Through UCS, I progressed from original member into trusted mentor, project leader, practical workshop assistant and music studio lead. My experience now includes music mentoring, youth support, catering sessions, studio management, leadership and practical skills tutoring. These are not just job titles. They are evidence of a young person rebuilding identity through real-world responsibility.

I have supported young people with additional needs during specialist school sessions. I have helped build confidence, communication and creativity in others. I have assisted with practical, creative and social activities, showing patience, reliability and positive role modelling. I have also supported catering sessions, developing cooking skills and helping others learn in a calm, practical environment.

This is the Underdog Crew model in action: not simply supporting young people, but helping them become the support.

My development has also moved beyond creative mentoring. I have completed safeguarding training, food hygiene training and PAT testing training. In recognition of my progress and commitment, Underdog Crew Studios awarded me PAT testing equipment, supporting my next step towards future self-employment. Through the SENergise / SENtrepreneur self-employment programme, I am now working towards building a possible future as a PAT tester and electrical services provider.

That pathway means everything to me. It shows that I am not only gaining confidence within UCS, but beginning to imagine an independent working future. For someone whose education was disrupted, that is powerful. It demonstrates that qualifications are not the only measure of ability, and that practical, supported, skills-based development can open doors that traditional education may have closed too early.

My growth has been recognised publicly too. In 2026, I received a High Sheriff of Essex Community Leader Award as one of three Underdog Crew Studios mentors recognised for leadership, personal development and positive contribution to others. For me, that award represents more than recognition. It is a marker of how far I have travelled: from a young person carrying caring responsibilities, bullying and disrupted education, to someone recognised for helping others.

Today, I am reliable, patient, supportive and willing to keep learning. I continue to develop as a guitarist and musician, with ambitions to perform in a band and help others enjoy creating music. I am also exploring practical employment and self-employment routes, building on the skills and confidence I have developed at Underdog Crew.

My story challenges narrow ideas of success. Not every young person follows a straight line through school, exams, college and employment. Some lives are interrupted by caring responsibilities, disability, neurodivergence, poverty, anxiety, family pressure, bullying or emotional strain. But a disrupted path is not a dead end. Sometimes it simply means you need a different route, a different pace and people who can see the ability underneath the struggle.

Underdog Crew gave me that route.

It gave me a place to belong, a studio to grow in, instruments to express myself through, practical tasks to master, people to support, and mentors who believed in me until I began to believe in myself.

My story is not about being rescued. It is about being recognised. My strengths were always there: loyalty, patience, humour, creativity, practical intelligence and the quiet determination of someone who has already carried more than most people realise.

At Underdog Crew Studios, those strengths were finally given somewhere to go.

I arrived as a young carer and day-one member. I became a mentor, musician, project leader, practical skills tutor, trainee PAT tester and recognised community leader.

And my journey is still only beginning.

Startup Networks is a proud sponsor of Underdog Crew Studios!