To Every Young Person Struggling Right Now: Your Story Isn’t Over Yet

The words that helped me survive — and why I’m building The Hero Project.

My Story 

I’m 14 years old. And I’m in the bathroom at school, hiding from bullies. The door is closed, and I’m clutching my iPod, listening to music to calm myself down.

The bullies don’t throw sticks or stones. They throw words. Words that everyone says can’t hurt you. But they do.

They tell me the world would be a better place without me. 

At the end of the school day, I go home. Where the bullying doesn’t stop. 

I hide in my bedroom, wondering late into the night if the bullies are right.

One night I read a quote from someone who also suffered from depression and dark thoughts. His name was Winston Churchill. He said: “Never, Never, Never Give Up.”

I wanted to be strong like Churchill. I studied hard, staying up late in my bedroom, charting a new course. Imagining a future where I could be someone different. Someone important. Someone good. 

The Power of Heroes 

During this time, my greatest heroes were in the library.

I found comfort in the words of writers, poets and philosophers. In the stories of people who had suffered and survived. People who showed me that even in the darkest times, there could be meaning, courage, hope.

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer… no matter how hard the world pushes against me, there’s something stronger pushing right back.” — Albert Camus

“If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces.” — Shane Koyczan

“Never give in, never give in… in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.” — Winston Churchill

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated… so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” — Maya Angelou

“Courage is found in unlikely places.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

These words were written by people I’d never met. And yet I felt as though they were written for me, and placed in my path like lanterns guiding me towards something better, and brighter, than the darkness I was living in. 

Making Art with the Broken Pieces 

Long story short, I didn’t give up. 

And years later, I walked through the doors of Downing Street where Churchill once stood, and I chaired a meeting on youth mental health alongside the UK Prime Minister. 

My work in Government advising on youth mental health policy was one the greatest privileges of my career. We made some progress. But, when I left, the work felt unfinished. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about the young people who still felt invisible. The quiet ones at the back of the classroom. The kids carrying heavy secrets they didn’t know how to share. Kids like me.

So I started writing. I poured every ounce of pain and hope I had into a story I wished I’d had when I was fourteen. A story about two teenagers who fight the monsters in their minds. Who stumble, break, and somehow keep going. Who prove to themselves that they can be heroic, even when the world tells them otherwise.

That book, The Angel of Dreams, became the inspiration for The Hero Project. A way to take those lifelines - the words, the hope, the fight - and pass them on to the next kid who needs them most. 

“To fight against that means to believe, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that your life has value. That it’s worth the pain, the struggle, the constant bargaining and negotiations with yourself to carry on.” - The Angel of Dreams 

The Hero Project 

The Hero Project started as a sketch in a notebook. A dream I carried for years.

It’s for the young people who face challenges beyond their years. Kids of divorce. Kids who’ve been bullied, abused, or left behind. The quiet ones searching Google or ChatGPT late at night, asking, how can I get through this?

I wanted to build something for them - for you. A place to hear from real humans who’ve been there. A space to find hope in a cynical world. A way to give young people tools for life’s hardest battles, not just a lecture about feelings.

For a long time, it was just me. But then I met Paddy, Lee and Gabriel. Three people who believed in this idea as much as I did. They’ve helped me turn a dream into something real: workshops, coaching, and a growing online community called The Compass. Together, we’re building this step by step, guided by what young people tell us they need most.

What We Do 

The Hero Project is about helping you take back your story. 

Our aim is simple: to make sure you feel seen, supported, and ready to face whatever life throws at you.

We don’t lecture. We don’t try to “fix” you. We sit beside you, share what we’ve learned, and give you tools to write the next chapter of your own life.

Mentoring and Coaching: We run school programmes, group sessions, and one-to-one mentoring to help young people build emotional strength, resilience, and real-life skills for the journey ahead.

The Compass: Our online community for 14–25 year olds. Each week, members receive short coaching emails and practical missions - small steps you can take to build confidence, courage, and hope. The Compass is for everyone, no matter where you’re starting from. For a limited time, joining is completely free for young people. This is your space to find direction, encouragement, and a reminder that you’re not alone. Sign up here.

Storytelling and Creativity: We believe stories and art can change lives. Through books, videos, and bold, visual content, we reframe mental health using metaphors, monsters, and heroic journeys - ways to make sense of the chaos and find meaning in it.

“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” - C.S. Lewis 

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” - Neil Gaiman

That’s the kind of storytelling we want to bring to you. I’ve written my own fantasy novel, The Angel of Dreams, about two teenagers battling monsters in their minds — the story I wish I’d read when I was fourteen, and now get to pass on to others.

The Hero Project exists to remind you of this: you are not broken. You are becoming.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

What Success Looks Like 

Our hope is that, maybe we will reach ten, a hundred, a thousand…and maybe out of that group of young people, there’s a kid who is going through something terrible, and they read my book or they read our emails, and they find something valuable, a quote or an idea that makes them see the world differently… and maybe that helps them one day decide to do something good, which becomes a fork in the road leading them on a better path, and maybe that’s the reason they choose that life is worth sticking around for…that would make this entire project worth the effort that we put into it.

My Message to You

My life has value. If that’s true for me, it’s true for you too.

I know it doesn’t always feel that way. I know there are nights where you wonder if it’s even worth it to keep going. I’ve been there.

But maybe your challenges are different from mine. Maybe you’re not at breaking point. Maybe you’re just feeling unmotivated, a little lost, or simply wanting to become better and stronger. This project is for you too.

It’s my turn to share the quotes about not giving up.

“Most of us don’t feel like we have it in us to be heroes. But heroism isn't an innate quality or natural ability. It is what happens when an ordinary person finds themselves in an extraordinary situation. The journey creates the hero.” 

- The Angel of Dreams

The words that helped me keep breathing were simple: Never, Never, Never, Give Up.

Now I’m passing them on to you. Because your story matters. And it’s not over yet.

Join the Journey

If any of this has resonated with you - if you’ve ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or just unsure how to take the next step, you don’t have to face it alone anymore.

The Hero Project exists for you. Through The Compass, you can get weekly emails and small, real-life missions to help you build courage and direction. It’s completely free for young people right now and you can join here .

We’re also meeting with schools, local partners, and youth organisations to plan ahead for 2026. If you’d like to collaborate or bring The Hero Project to your school or community, please get in touch — we’d love to hear from you.

If you’re a parent, you can share this project with your kids or even sign up to Compass together and work through the weekly missions side by side.

If you’re a supporter or ally, you can help us reach more young people by following and sharing our work on Instagram and LinkedIn. Sometimes the smallest action like passing on a story or a quote can be the spark that changes someone’s life.

Chloe Westley is the CEO and Founder of the Hero Project, and author of YA Novel The Angel of Dreams. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.