Bravory • Teen confidence in Leeds
Confidence Building for Teenagers and Young Adults in Leeds
Leeds has changed enormously over the years.
So can a young person.
I know Leeds from a very different stage of my own career, when I worked from an office on Call Lane organising sports events around the country to raise valuable funds for charity.
That experience reinforced something I still believe today: confidence grows when people are given responsibility, work alongside others and discover that what they do can make a difference.
Bravory helps teenagers and young adults across Leeds develop confidence, resilience, communication and independence through exactly that principle — learning, action and evidence.
A genuine connection with Leeds
From Call Lane to Bravory: what Leeds taught me about people and purpose
Leeds is a city I remember with real affection.
I worked there from an office on Call Lane, organising sports events around the country that raised valuable funds for charity.
Call Lane and the city around it have changed greatly since those days.
Buildings change.
Businesses change.
Careers change.
People change too.
That work involved far more than putting sporting events into a diary.
It meant organising people.
Communicating clearly.
Dealing with things that did not go to plan.
Encouraging participation.
Working towards targets.
And knowing that the work had a purpose beyond simply completing another task.
One of the best ways to build confidence is to discover that you can contribute something useful.
That lesson has stayed with me throughout my career.
Confidence through contribution
Young people often grow when the question changes from “How confident are you?” to “What can you contribute?”
We spend a great deal of time asking young people how they feel about themselves.
That matters.
But sometimes confidence develops more naturally when attention moves away from the self.
Instead of:
“Am I good enough?”
the question becomes:
“What needs doing?”
“How can I help?”
“What is my responsibility?”
“Who is relying on me?”
This is one of the reasons sport, volunteering, DofE, charity work, school leadership and employment can all be so powerful for young people.
They give a teenager somewhere to put their attention other than constantly judging themselves.
Responsibility
Somebody needs you to do something. Following through begins to build trust in yourself.
Teamwork
You discover that you do not have to know everything. You contribute one part alongside other people.
Purpose
Doing something that matters can make a young person think less about how they look and more about what they can achieve.
The Confidence Gap
Your teenager may be capable of far more than they currently believe.
Parents often see potential long before the young person sees it themselves.
You know they are capable.
But they hesitate.
They do not apply.
They avoid the conversation.
They say they are not interested before anybody has the chance to reject them.
They let somebody else go first.
Or they convince themselves that everyone else is more confident, talented or prepared.
Signs confidence may be getting in the way
- They avoid unfamiliar situations.
- They worry excessively about judgement.
- They overthink everyday decisions.
- They avoid speaking to unfamiliar adults.
- They turn down opportunities.
- They struggle after criticism or rejection.
- They compare themselves constantly with other people.
- They rely heavily on parents to deal with things.
- They seem capable of more than they attempt.
Bravory calls this the Confidence Gap: the space between what somebody is capable of doing and what they currently believe they can do.
Opportunity in Leeds
Leeds is helping young people see what is possible. Confidence helps them act on it.
Leeds has a large and varied education, training, apprenticeship and employment landscape.
Leeds City Council's Informed Choices programme works with schools, colleges and employers to help young people understand the opportunities available to them and make informed decisions about their futures.
During the 2025/26 academic year, almost 10,000 young people accessed this careers support across more than 50 schools, colleges and specialist settings.
The programme included apprenticeship awareness, employer-led activities, careers events and local labour-market information.
You can find more official information here: Leeds City Council careers support for young people .
This is exactly why confidence matters.
Careers information can show a young person what exists.
Confidence helps them take the next step.
Knowing an opportunity exists and believing you are capable of pursuing it are two very different things.
For parents and guardians
Could your teenager benefit from more responsibility rather than more reassurance?
Reassurance can be helpful.
But there is a limit to what another person can say that will make somebody truly believe in themselves.
A teenager may hear:
“You're capable.”
“You're clever.”
“You'll be fine.”
But experience is often more persuasive.
Give them something real to do.
Let them organise something.
Let them make a call.
Let them work something out.
Let them volunteer.
Let them take responsibility for part of a family plan.
Let them experience being useful.
“You're capable” is encouraging. “I did that myself” is evidence.
Bravory also provides a free Parent Conversation Kit to help parents start useful conversations around confidence, friendships, school, pressure, motivation and the future.
For teenagers and young adults
Confidence is not about thinking you are brilliant at everything.
You are allowed to be unsure.
You are allowed to get nervous.
You are allowed to be new at something.
And you are definitely allowed to get things wrong.
Confidence is not:
“I know I will succeed.”
It can be:
“I don't know exactly what will happen, but I'm willing to have a go.”
You might want more confidence to...
- meet new people;
- join a club or team;
- volunteer;
- speak up in school or college;
- apply for an apprenticeship;
- go to an interview;
- start your first job;
- go to university;
- make your own decisions;
- become more independent.
Find out what may be holding you back
Bravory's free confidence quizzes explore overthinking, resilience, independence, social confidence and fear of other people's opinions.
They are not tests or diagnoses.
They help you notice one area where a small change could make a real difference.
The 5% Challenge
Do something slightly braver, not dramatically different.
Confidence development does not need to begin with a massive challenge.
It can begin with a small decision.
Ask yourself:
“What would 5% braver look like today?”
Volunteer to help.
Introduce yourself first.
Send the email.
Ask one question.
Apply for one opportunity.
Join the activity.
Tell somebody what you think.
Small actions matter because each one creates evidence.
Why helping other people can help you
Charity, volunteering and community action can be powerful confidence builders.
My own work in Leeds involved organising sporting events whose purpose was to raise funds for charity.
That sense of purpose mattered.
You were not simply completing a task.
The result would help somebody else.
Young people can gain similar benefits from volunteering and community activity.
Volunteering can create opportunities to:
- meet people outside your normal friendship group;
- communicate with adults;
- take responsibility;
- be relied upon;
- learn practical skills;
- deal with unfamiliar situations;
- feel useful;
- discover strengths you did not know you had.
Leeds City Council itself highlights volunteering as a way people can meet others, develop interests and learn new skills.
Confidence often grows as a side effect of contribution.
Why structured confidence development?
Free advice is everywhere. Structure is different.
A teenager can search for confidence advice in seconds.
They can watch videos.
Read articles.
Ask AI.
Follow motivational accounts.
But knowing what confidence is does not automatically change behaviour.
Bravory's 6-Week Teen Confidence Mastery Programme gives the young person a structured route.
Understand
Notice overthinking, avoidance and the situations where confidence is currently disappearing.
Practise
Develop practical communication, resilience, decision-making and self-belief.
Contribute and act
Use the learning in real situations and build evidence through experience.
The core programme is online and self-directed.
That means a young person does not need to begin their confidence journey by walking into a room full of strangers.
They can learn privately and then practise confidence where it counts — in everyday life.
The Bravory approach
The BRAVE Method
Confidence becomes easier to develop when it is broken into practical areas.
Understand strengths and challenge unhelpful self-talk.
Learn what to do when things do not go to plan.
Take useful steps rather than waiting to feel completely ready.
Speak up, communicate and ask for help when needed.
Notice what you have handled and allow that evidence to build self-trust.
Evidence changes beliefs
Build a confidence bank account.
Every useful action is a deposit.
- Volunteer for something.
- Organise an activity.
- Speak to somebody new.
- Make the phone call yourself.
- Take responsibility for a task.
- Apply for the opportunity.
- Attend the interview.
- Ask for feedback.
- Deal with something that goes wrong.
- Try again.
None of those deposits looks enormous on its own.
Together they create a different internal story.
Confidence is often the memory of difficult things you have already managed.
Cities change. People change.
The Leeds I remember is not exactly the Leeds young people see today.
When I think back to working from Call Lane, I also think about how much the city has evolved.
New industries have grown.
Buildings have changed.
Technology has transformed how people work.
The routes available to young people have changed too.
Leeds City Council currently promotes routes including further education, T Levels, apprenticeships, jobs and higher education, while its careers work increasingly connects young people directly with employers and real workplace opportunities. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"}
That should be encouraging.
Because if a city can change enormously over time, so can a person.
The teenager you are worried about today is not a finished version of the adult they will become.
Experience behind Bravory
About Adrian Close, founder of Bravory
I am Adrian Close, founder of Bravory and Director of Learning at Ultimate Leadership Training.
My connection with Leeds comes from an earlier stage in my career when I worked from Call Lane organising sports events around the country to raise funds for charity.
Since then my career has taken me through management, leadership, training and youth development.
I have employed and developed young adults, supported young people through sport, worked with young people in the United States through Camp America, trained school prefects in leadership skills and spent years supporting young people through Duke of Edinburgh activities.
Today I am also a professional leadership and management trainer.
The connection between all of those experiences is development.
Giving somebody a chance.
Giving them responsibility.
Helping them learn.
And then watching what happens when they begin to believe they are capable of more.
That is what Bravory is designed to do for teenagers and young adults.
Leeds and surrounding areas
Confidence support for teenagers and young adults across Leeds and West Yorkshire
Bravory's core programme is online, so a young person does not need to travel into Leeds city centre to take part.
Teenagers and young adults can access Bravory from across Leeds and surrounding areas including:
- Leeds
- Headingley
- Horsforth
- Roundhay
- Chapel Allerton
- Morley
- Pudsey
- Otley
- Wetherby
- Rothwell
- Garforth
- Yeadon
- Guiseley
- Armley
- Cross Gates
- Seacroft
- Moortown
- Bramley
- Kippax
- West Yorkshire
Whether you are a parent in Headingley concerned that your teenager is holding back, a young person in Horsforth preparing for work, somebody in Morley worrying about an interview, or a family in Wetherby looking for structured confidence development, Bravory can be accessed online.
Schools, colleges, youth organisations and community groups can also contact Bravory about confidence, student leadership and personal-development support.
DofE and confidence
Purpose, responsibility and challenge all help young people discover what they can do.
Bravory founder Adrian Close has many years of experience supporting young people through Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh activities.
DofE reinforces many of the same lessons that charitable work and volunteering can provide.
You contribute.
You take responsibility.
You work with other people.
You face challenges.
You adapt when things go wrong.
And eventually you gain evidence that you can do more than you originally thought.
Bravory also has a confidence-development route that may be proposed for the Bronze or Silver DofE Skills section with prior approval from the young person's DofE Leader.
Explore the Bravory DofE Skills route →
Bravory is an independent programme and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or currently registered as an official DofE Approved Activity Provider. Participants should obtain approval from their DofE Leader before beginning the proposed Skills activity.
Choosing the right support
Bravory is confidence and personal-development training — not therapy
Bravory helps young people develop confidence, resilience, communication, decision-making and independence.
It is not counselling, psychotherapy, diagnosis or medical treatment.
A teenager can lack confidence without having a mental-health condition.
However, if a young person is experiencing significant anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, abuse, an eating disorder, safeguarding concerns or immediate risk, appropriate professional, medical or safeguarding help should be sought.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about teenage confidence in Leeds
How can I help my teenager become more confident?
Give them manageable opportunities to take responsibility, make decisions and act for themselves. Confidence usually develops when a young person collects evidence that they can deal with situations rather than simply being told they are capable.
Does Adrian Close have a genuine connection with Leeds?
Yes. Adrian worked in Leeds from an office on Call Lane, organising sports events around the country to raise valuable funds for charity.
Can volunteering help a young person become more confident?
Volunteering can give young people opportunities to communicate, take responsibility, work with others, learn new skills and experience being useful. These practical experiences can create valuable confidence-building evidence.
Can Bravory help prepare a young person for an apprenticeship or first job?
Yes. Bravory develops practical confidence, communication, resilience, decision-making and independence, which can support applications, interviews and the transition into employment.
Is Bravory only for shy teenagers?
No. A teenager can appear sociable but still struggle with overthinking, criticism, independence, difficult conversations or fear of other people's opinions.
Do we need to live in Leeds city centre?
No. The core Bravory programme is online and can be accessed from Headingley, Horsforth, Roundhay, Morley, Pudsey, Otley, Wetherby, Garforth and throughout Leeds and West Yorkshire.
My teenager would hate attending a confidence workshop. Could Bravory still be suitable?
The core programme is online and self-directed, allowing a young person to begin privately and practise their learning in real situations rather than starting by attending a group of strangers.
Is Bravory therapy?
No. Bravory is confidence and personal-development training and should not replace appropriate professional mental-health, medical or safeguarding support where that is required.
Can I contact Adrian before deciding?
Yes. Parents and guardians are welcome to ask questions before deciding whether Bravory feels appropriate for their teenager or young adult. Email contact@adrianclose.com .
The next brave step
Confidence grows when young people discover that they can contribute.
Take responsibility.
Help somebody.
Join in.
Organise something.
Try.
Get something wrong.
Learn.
Try again.
Those experiences gradually change how a young person sees themselves.
If you are a teenager or young adult in Leeds who wants to develop greater confidence, resilience and independence — or a parent who can see more potential in your young person than they currently see in themselves — Bravory gives you a practical place to begin.
Bravory — Turning Every Story into a Brave Future.
