A Dundee pupil overcame social anxiety and created a peer group to support younger students with similar issues.
Aspiring counsellor Kara Ramsay, an S6 pupil at Morgan Academy, supports S1-S3 pupils with social anxiety though her Chill-Zone in her school.
Kara, 17, not only had the idea for the group but she sourced a classroom for it to be held in and runs the Chill-Zone herself.
It offers a safe space for junior pupils to seek peer support or even just to ‘hang out’ if they feel like they have nowhere else to go.
And Kara leads by example, having made bounds to overcome anxieties around social expectations and logistics of the school day, as well as a coping with a condition called trichotillomania.
The condition – sometimes shortened to trich – saw Kara repeatedly pull out the hairs in her eyebrows and eyelashes when she was feeling anxious.
Kara’s incredible personal journey and the important work she does at her school to support other pupils has earned her one of our Courier Gold Star awards.
The award recognises youngsters’ achievements both in school and their wider community.
Kara said: “I feel really excited and really happy to have got this because it shows all my hard work has paid off.
“All the things I’ve done in school are what have helped me to become the person I am today and will benefit me in the future.”
She also hopes the award will help her stand out in her application to Abertay University where she wants to study psychology and counselling.
‘It started in primary school’
Kara was in P7 when she was diagnosed with anxiety and trichotillomania – which she struggled with until the age of 16.
She said: “It was when the assemblies started for going to high school and I realised my comfortable surroundings in primary school were about to change.
“When I started high school it got worse, in S1 and S2. I had a fear of being late for school or getting home from school late.
I would be crying at the start of the day and at the end.”
Kara Ramsay
“I would be crying at the start of the day and at the end when I knew the bell was about to ring and we hadn’t started packing up yet.”
In S3 things started to gradually improve for Kara when she made a new group of friends and was persuaded by a teacher to join a support group within the school.
Her new friends helped her to realise it’s OK to be late sometimes, or to feel anxious, and her confidence began to grow.
A career in helping others
She was also working with the school’s health and wellbeing officer and by S4 started to wonder about a similar career path for herself.
That’s when Kara had the idea for the Chill-Zone and began planning. The following academic year, when Kara was in S5, the group opened twice a week.
The room has computers, board games and art activities, and pupils can connect with each other informally or chat to Kara for peer advice.
She said: “It was nerve-racking at the start because I’d never done anything like it before but it was eye-opening to see what I could do.
“It was a big step and it felt good knowing I was helping people. I saw their confidence levels improve and how comfortable they were with other year groups.
“It’s now doing so well that it’s going to be extended to four days a week, and include seniors too.
Kara was nominated for her Gold Star by her guidance teacher, Stewart Haddow.
He said: “We’re all very proud of what Kara has achieved here at the school, in herself and through the Chill-Zone.
“She’s helped lots of juniors work through their anxieties – I’ve even had teachers come to me and ask for her specifically to help with other students.”
The school hopes to continue the project after Kara leaves for university and has asked her to train some S5s to carry on her legacy.
Want to nominate someone for a Gold Star?
Our Gold Star awards are aimed at recognising children and young people’s achievements, both in and out of school.
We are collecting nominations from the public through our online form. Winners of the award will receive one of our stunning badges and a certificate.
Full terms and conditions can be found here.
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