Lou* reflects on how she overcame abuse and instability to pursue a career in music.

I’m Lou and I’m 21 years old. I grew up with parents who struggled with drug addictions. My mum was in and out of rehab and that meant we moved around a lot. At one point I was put into foster care.  

My mother was abusive to me as a young child and was angry all the time. She and my stepdad would argue often. There was a lot of emotional and physical abuse.  

It got to a point where I couldn’t handle it anymore, and either I was going to get kicked out of home or I had to leave.  

I stayed with other family members for a while but that also wasn’t working out.  

One of my friends was involved in my local EveryYouth charity, The Rock Trust in Edinburgh, and so I was put in touch with them. With their support I managed to secure a single tenant house within three months. I don’t know where I would be without their help.  

A jobs coach helps with anything I need, including applying for jobs, thanks to the EveryYouth Employed programme. She helped me write a CV and apply for jobs. The Rock Trust helped me to explore my interests in the arts, and it made me realise I wanted to pursue a career in music.  

I will be starting a music course at Edinburgh College in August. My audition went really well and I even performed two of my original songs, even though I was nervous to begin with.  

I’m really excited because music is always something I have been interested in. I sing and can play guitar, piano and drums. I was inspired by Ed Sheeran when I went to see his concert when I was 11 years old. I bought the same brand of guitar that he uses and it’s very sentimental to me. I want to be a singer/songwriter in the future.  

Everyone at The Rock Trust is really understanding and very open minded. They provide really good emotional support. I have had therapy as well. It’s pretty special.  

“If you had told 18-year-old me that three years on I would be in my own house…a lot has changed and I feel proud of myself and excited for my future.”

My advice to other people would be to believe in yourself and not worry about what other people think. Focus on yourself and things will work out for you. 

Find out more about our EveryYouth Employed programme.

*Name has been changed.