Sadia's story: overcoming mental health issues with digital

The Meridian Centre is a community centre for people of all ages and backgrounds in the Manningham area of Bradford District. The services offered by the hub are targeted to empower the local community to participate and engage through learning and self development activities. One of the many people they have supported is Sadia*. 

Mental health struggles

Sadia is a learner from Pakistan, who was initially very shy and held back due to her life experiences and struggles. 

Before she began attending classes at Meridian Centre, her marriage had broken down. Her husband had abandoned her for someone else, and she was shunned by the people she knew in England, but felt ashamed to tell her family in Pakistan about her husband’s infidelity. As a result, she was lonely and isolated with no one to turn to for support. Sadia was incredibly depressed and required medication to help her through this difficult time. 

Gaining confidence with Learn My Way

Because she lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment, she wanted to go out, make friends, and feel like a member of the local community to lift her spirits. Thankfully, she heard about the classes at Meridian Centre from another tenant in her building, and found she lived close enough to easily attend. 

Sadia was enrolled onto the hub’s IT course to help her improve her digital skills, which involved using Learn My Way. By making her way through the topics on the platform and applying the knowledge she learnt from the course as a whole, she was able to build up her digital skills and confidence.

Developing these skills enabled her to: apply for benefits, practice for her theory test, and support her citizenship process. She was incredibly motivated to learn, as she was keen to change her life and take control of it. 

Learning digital skills enabled her to expand her knowledge of IT, while additionally improving her language skills and confidence. 

Connecting with the community 

“As the time has passed, I have seen this person grow in several ways and she is no longer the timid woman who first sat in my class but is blossoming each time I see her and changing into the person she wants to be. As the sessions progressed, it was a pleasure to see her develop into a confident, friendly, and helpful class member.”
– Shamim Khan, Hub Manager at Meridian Centre.

Sadia has significantly developed her confidence and is able to demonstrate her digital knowledge in front of the class, providing alternative ideas to processes and supporting the other students in the class. 

She is a woman who has become more independent as she continues to learn and socialise with the local community, continually developing her abilities and no longer as isolated or heartbroken as she was before.

*anonymised