Stella Starnes, 24, has been supported by her local YMCA in Llandovery for 12 years, ever since she started high school in Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn.
Born with the very rare Mosaic Down Syndrome, Stella has struggled all her life with socialising and bullying in school. She says that, for her, YMCA has been a lifesaver.
Stella said: “Because I was struggling at school, I joined YMCA to learn, make friends and have fun.
“Llandovery is a very small town and there aren’t a lot of activities for someone like me. To be honest, I don’t know what I would do without YMCA, especially since my school and related activities have closed down. I would say that YMCA feels like the last line of support for young people in this town.”
Support that Stella has enjoyed since joining YMCA ranges from taking part in art therapy and Public Service Skills classes through to going on trips to expand her horizons and boost her confidence.
Over the past 12 years, she has attended the European Alliance of YMCAs’ event, in Prague, and headed up a research project, funded by Y Care, the National Council of YMCA’s international development arm, to analyse and contrast the lives of youngsters in Wales and the Caribbean. Despite Stella’s shy nature, YMCA supported her to do this while also taking a group of young people to London to interview an MP at the House of Commons
Stella says: “YMCA has been great for me. We have done fun and interesting things with the group supervision that I needed to feel safe.
“Although I am currently still a member at the YMCA, I hope that from the art therapy, fitness, chiropodist and courses on public skills and computers, I am able to go on to be a successful, fit and sociably comfortable artist and author.”
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