Bravory • Teen confidence in Sheffield
Confidence Building for Teenagers and Young Adults in Sheffield
Sheffield is a city I have a real affection for.
I have spent many hours working with young people from the city while supervising Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, watching them navigate, make decisions, support each other, deal with tiredness and discover that they are often capable of far more than they first thought.
Sheffield also has a personal connection for me. I watched my own daughter grow through her university years here — becoming more independent, making her own decisions and developing into the adult she is today.
Those two experiences reinforce one of the central ideas behind Bravory: confidence grows when young people are given challenge, responsibility and enough room to discover themselves.
Why Sheffield matters to me
I have watched young people grow here in more ways than one.
Some of that growth has happened out on the hills.
I have supervised young people from Sheffield through Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, often in the Peak District.
Expedition days are revealing.
Who keeps going when the weather turns?
Who helps when somebody else is struggling?
Who makes the decision when the group is uncertain?
Who gets frustrated and then learns how to reset?
Who begins the expedition quietly and finishes it standing a little taller?
Those are some of the moments when confidence develops.
Confidence is often built when a young person suddenly realises: “Nobody did that for me. I did it.”
Sheffield also reminds me of a different kind of growth.
I watched my daughter go through her university years in the city.
University is not simply about gaining a qualification.
It is often where young people begin to manage their own time, money, relationships, decisions, setbacks and future plans in a much more independent way.
Watching that process as a parent reinforced something I already knew as a trainer:
sometimes young people need support.
And sometimes they need us to trust them enough to work something out for themselves.
The Confidence Gap
Your teenager may be capable of much more than they currently believe.
Low confidence does not always look like shyness.
Sometimes it looks like avoidance.
“I don't want to do it.”
“I'm not bothered.”
“I'll apply later.”
“Can you call them?”
“Everyone else will be better than me.”
Those statements can sometimes hide fear of getting something wrong, being judged or finding out that something is difficult.
Signs confidence may be getting in the way
- They avoid unfamiliar situations.
- They worry excessively about what others think.
- They hesitate to make decisions.
- They need repeated reassurance.
- They avoid applications or interviews.
- They struggle with criticism.
- They give up quickly after setbacks.
- They rely on parents to deal with uncomfortable situations.
- They seem capable of far more than they attempt.
Bravory calls this the Confidence Gap: the space between what a young person is capable of doing and what they currently believe they can do.
What DofE teaches about confidence
Resilience needs something to be resilient about.
It is difficult to teach resilience only by talking about it.
Young people need situations where something becomes difficult.
Appropriate challenge.
A hill when they are tired.
A navigation decision when nobody is completely certain.
A disagreement within the team.
A plan that needs changing.
A mistake that needs correcting.
Decision-making
Expeditions give young people situations where somebody eventually has to make a decision and move forward.
Teamwork
Confidence is not always individual. Sometimes it grows from discovering that you can contribute to a team.
Recovery
Taking a wrong turn is not the end of the expedition. Working out what to do next is where resilience begins.
Young people do not become resilient because nothing difficult ever happens. They become resilient because difficult things happen and they discover they can respond.
Growing into independence
University can be one of life's biggest confidence transitions.
Watching my daughter go through university in Sheffield gave me another perspective on young adult confidence.
A young person may leave home having spent years surrounded by familiar people, routines and support.
Then suddenly there are new expectations.
- Manage your own time.
- Meet people you have never met before.
- Make decisions without asking a parent first.
- Manage money.
- Cook.
- Travel independently.
- Deal with deadlines.
- Handle disappointment.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Begin deciding what adulthood might look like.
None of those things automatically appears at 18.
They are developed.
Independence is not one giant step into adulthood. It is hundreds of small moments when a young person realises they can handle more for themselves.
Opportunities for young people in Sheffield
Sheffield already understands that confidence and employability belong together.
Sheffield City Council's employment and skills services support young people into jobs, apprenticeships and training.
The city's work-based learning programmes for 16 to 18-year-olds specifically focus on helping young people develop confidence, motivation, employability skills and the ability to demonstrate their potential to an employer.
You can explore Sheffield's official work-based learning information here: Sheffield Work Based Learning Programmes .
Sheffield's See It Be It programme also works with schools across the city to broaden young people's aspirations and connect them with local employers and different career pathways.
You can find out more here: See It Be It Sheffield .
Opportunities matter.
But eventually the young person needs enough confidence to use them.
Somebody can show a young person the door. Confidence helps them walk through it.
For parents and guardians
How do you know when to help — and when to let them work it out?
This is one of the hardest parts of parenting older teenagers.
You know more.
You have more experience.
You can probably solve the problem faster.
But solving every problem does not necessarily prepare somebody for adulthood.
Sometimes the best support sounds like:
“What do you think?”
Give them the chance to form an opinion before giving them yours.
“What's your plan?”
Help them think through the next step rather than automatically organising it.
“What did you learn?”
A mistake can become useful if the conversation focuses on what happens next.
The goal is not to stop being there for them. It is to help them gradually need you in a different way.
Bravory also provides a free Parent Conversation Kit covering confidence, friendships, pressure, motivation, school and the future.
For teenagers and young adults
You do not need to have everything worked out yet.
Maybe you're thinking about GCSEs.
College.
Sixth form.
An apprenticeship.
University.
Your first job.
Leaving home.
Or simply trying to work out who you are.
Confidence does not mean knowing exactly what the future looks like.
Confidence can mean: “I don't know exactly what happens next, but I trust myself enough to take the next step.”
You might want more confidence to...
- meet new people;
- speak up in school, college or university;
- apply for a job;
- attend an interview;
- travel independently;
- handle criticism;
- make your own decisions;
- cope when something goes wrong;
- worry less about what people think;
- become more independent.
Find out what may be holding you back
Bravory's free confidence quizzes explore areas including overthinking, resilience, independence, social confidence and fear of other people's opinions.
They are not tests or diagnoses.
They are designed to help you notice patterns and choose one useful next step.
The 5% Challenge
Think like an expedition: you do not need to complete the whole journey today.
When you are standing at the start of a long route, focusing on every mile at once can make the challenge feel enormous.
Confidence works in a similar way.
Do not ask:
“How do I become completely confident?”
Ask:
“What would 5% braver look like today?”
Ask one question.
Make one phone call.
Apply for one opportunity.
Make one decision.
Introduce yourself first.
Try one thing you normally avoid.
Then take the next step.
A structured route
Why use a six-week confidence programme when advice is everywhere?
Young people have access to more advice than ever before.
Google.
YouTube.
Podcasts.
Social media.
AI.
The problem is rarely simply knowing that confidence would be useful.
The problem is turning ideas into action.
Bravory's 6-Week Teen Confidence Mastery Programme provides a structured route.
Understand
Notice self-doubt, avoidance, overthinking and situations where confidence disappears.
Practise
Develop communication, resilience, decision-making and independence.
Apply
Use the learning in real situations and build evidence that you can cope.
The programme is online and self-directed.
That means somebody who would hate attending a confidence course with a room full of strangers can begin privately and practise the learning in everyday life.
The Bravory approach
The BRAVE Method
Bravory breaks confidence development into five practical areas.
Understand strengths and challenge unhelpful self-talk.
Learn how to respond when things do not go to plan.
Take useful steps instead of 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.
Build evidence
Think of confidence as a bank account.
Every useful challenge makes a deposit.
- Navigate the route.
- Make the phone call.
- Travel independently.
- Speak to somebody new.
- Apply for the opportunity.
- Attend the interview.
- Take feedback.
- Admit a mistake.
- Work out what to do next.
- Try again.
Eventually the internal story begins to change.
“I've handled difficult things before. Perhaps I can handle this too.”
Experience behind Bravory
About Adrian Close, founder of Bravory
I am Adrian Close, founder of Bravory and Director of Learning at Ultimate Leadership Training.
Much of my career has involved developing people.
I have employed, trained and developed young adults, supported young people through sport, worked with young people in the United States, trained school prefects in leadership skills and spent years supporting teenagers and young adults through Duke of Edinburgh activities.
Sheffield is particularly meaningful to me because I have supervised many young people from the city during DofE expeditions and seen first-hand how challenge can develop confidence and resilience.
It is also a city connected to my own family.
Watching my daughter grow through her university years here gave me the parent's view of the same process:
independence increasing.
Confidence changing.
Decisions becoming her own.
And a young person gradually becoming the adult they are capable of being.
Today I professionally train managers and leaders in communication, leadership, difficult conversations, accountability, confidence and personal development.
Bravory takes many of the skills adults later pay to learn at work and gives young people the chance to start developing them earlier.
Sheffield and South Yorkshire
Confidence support for teenagers and young adults across Sheffield
Bravory's core programme is online, so families do not need to travel into Sheffield city centre to take part.
Teenagers and young adults can access Bravory from across Sheffield and surrounding communities including:
- Sheffield
- Ecclesall
- Fulwood
- Crookes
- Broomhill
- Hillsborough
- Walkley
- Nether Edge
- Millhouses
- Dore
- Totley
- Woodseats
- Heeley
- Handsworth
- Chapeltown
- Stocksbridge
- Oughtibridge
- Rotherham
- Barnsley
- South Yorkshire
Whether you are a parent in Ecclesall concerned that your teenager is holding back, a young person in Hillsborough preparing for work, somebody in Dore thinking about university, or a family elsewhere in South Yorkshire looking for structured confidence development, Bravory can be accessed online.
Schools, colleges, youth organisations and community groups can also contact Bravory regarding confidence, student leadership and personal-development support.
DofE and Bravory
Confidence development can also support a young person's DofE journey.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is designed to help young people develop initiative, teamwork, independence, resilience and a spirit of adventure.
Those are closely connected to the skills Bravory develops.
Bravory also has a confidence and personal-development route that may be proposed for the Bronze or Silver DofE Skills section, subject to approval from the participant's DofE Leader before starting.
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. Approval and completion decisions remain with the participant's DofE Leader, Licensed Organisation and Assessor.
Choosing the right support
Bravory is confidence and personal-development training — not therapy
A teenager can struggle with confidence without having a mental-health condition.
Bravory focuses on confidence, resilience, communication, decision-making and independence.
It is not counselling, psychotherapy, diagnosis or medical treatment.
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 support should be sought.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about teenage confidence in Sheffield
How can I help my teenager become more confident?
Give them manageable opportunities to make decisions, take responsibility and act for themselves. Confidence usually grows when young people collect evidence that they can deal with situations rather than simply being told they are capable.
Does Adrian Close genuinely work with young people from Sheffield?
Yes. Adrian has supervised many young people from Sheffield through Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, helping them manage challenge, teamwork, navigation, responsibility and resilience.
Why is Sheffield personally important to Adrian?
In addition to his work with Sheffield young people, Adrian watched his daughter grow and develop through her university years in the city, giving him both a trainer's and a parent's perspective on confidence and independence.
Can DofE help build confidence?
DofE gives young people opportunities to make decisions, work in teams, deal with challenge, take responsibility and recover when things go wrong. Those experiences can provide valuable evidence of capability.
Can Bravory help somebody preparing for university?
Yes. Bravory develops confidence, communication, resilience, decision-making and independence, all of which can help a young person prepare for the transition into university and more independent adult life.
Is Bravory only for shy teenagers?
No. A young person can be sociable and still struggle with overthinking, criticism, interviews, independence, difficult conversations or fear of other people's opinions.
Do we need to live in central Sheffield?
No. The core programme is online and can be accessed throughout Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the wider UK.
My teenager would hate a confidence workshop. Could Bravory still help?
Yes. The core Bravory programme is online and self-directed, allowing a young person to begin privately and practise the learning gradually in everyday life.
Is Bravory therapy?
No. Bravory is confidence and personal-development training and should not replace appropriate professional mental-health, medical or safeguarding support.
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
Young people grow when we give them something real to grow into.
A route to navigate.
A decision to make.
A problem to solve.
A new city to learn.
A first job.
A university place.
A responsibility that belongs to them.
Confidence rarely arrives before those experiences.
It grows because of them.
If you are a teenager or young adult in Sheffield who wants to become more confident, resilient and independent — or a parent who can see greater 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.
