Success Stories
A client’s perspective
At Youth Focus we strive to change the lives of young people we come into contact with. While their issues, background and experiences vary greatly they all have the same goal, that is to live a happy and fulfilling life. We work very hard to assist them in dealing with their issues and to help them to develop the life skills and capacity that will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
Thankfully we have an outstanding track record of enhancing the lives of the young people that we see, below is just one example of the many thousands of Youth Focus stories.
“I am 19 years old. I work full time as a receptionist and I love my job. I live with my boyfriend and I am happy.
I haven’t always been happy. I started self harming when I was 12 and I kept it a secret for many years. I was depressed. I had no friends and I was getting bullied at school because I was overweight. My family was always on my back about it and consequently I started to starve myself. Life was pretty tough.
One day I admitted to the school psychologist that I had thoughts about killing myself. She told me that she thought I needed some extra help.
When a Youth Focus counselor called me I didn’t really want to talk. But there was something about her that I trusted so I made an appointment to meet with her. She came to my school. It was hard at first, but I began to feel comfortable and a little hopeful.
Things at home were pretty bad so I didn’t tell my Mum and step-Dad that I had started getting counselling. They eventually found out and it was probably a good thing because then they started having family counselling at Youth Focus. My counsellor and the family counsellor worked together to help us. This made a big difference because my parents learnt to understand me better.
My counselor thought I would benefit from going on a Youth Focus camp. I was so scared but I am so glad I went. I met heaps of other young people who were experiencing similar problems. I didn’t feel so alone. I went on four more camps and they were awesome….something to look forward to.
I worked so hard with my counsellor to stop self harming, to build my self esteem and relationships, and to deal with conflict with my family. I learnt to manage my emotions and communicate in an assertive way. I feel really proud because, at times, I really didn’t want to go to counselling. It was too hard to face some of my problems. But I stuck at it and it was worth it.
My counsellor organised for me to have a mentor towards the end of my counselling. This was someone to help me to build my confidence in the world and to practice the skills I had learnt in counselling. We went to the movies, shopping, and sometimes just went for coffee. It was really helpful and I started to grow more confident and comfortable in the world.
When I told my counsellor that I was ready to finish counselling I felt grateful and proud. I had come to a point that I once thought I would never get to, a self assured and stable girl who used healthy coping strategies to deal with problems. I now enjoy my relationships with my family and friends and I think they enjoy being around me too.
I still pull out the folder of work I did with my counsellor every once in a while to remind me of the skills I have. I guess that just makes me normal
A volunteer’s perspective
While Youth Focus provides counselling via our team of highly trained and qualified professional counsellors like most charities we also rely on the generous support and personal commitment of so many volunteers. Our volunteers assist us with our Camps Programs, Youth Mentoring and various events and fundraising activities such as our Night of Nights Ball.
Below is a personal story of one of our volunteers, if you’re interested in finding out more about our volunteering program please call us on 6266 4333.
“Around 2004 a good friend of mine began to encourage me to volunteer for Youth Focus. My wife and I were in the middle of major home renovations at the time and I put her off but she was persistent. I did have a feeling that as my own 2 children were now successful and likeable young adults I should be giving something back to the community. I think a lot of people have that thought but unless they have someone giving them a nudge it doesn’t quite happen.
So with some trepidation about what I was getting into I went to an information evening and immediately liked the “feel” of the Youth Focus culture. As an anxious newbie it was an organisation I felt I could have confidence in to steer me in the right direction and not make too big an idiot of myself. This confidence turned out to be well placed as Youth Focus has provided regular training and a functional and supportive structure so there are always qualified Counsellors to provide guidance and moral support. The staff are friendly and well organised and above all, I like the way Youth Focus staff and management demonstrate integrity in everything they do. Their mission is to help young people at risk of self harm or suicide and that’s what I see them doing.
After a few weeks of training I was accepted and volunteered for my first camp. Even though we had 2 meetings to prepare for camp, on that first Friday evening I stumbled into the meeting room with 20 sweaty teenagers with various issues and temperaments and felt like I might need some counselling myself.
The Camps are carefully designed to be a mixture of fun, activities, therapy, education and an opportunity for young people to interact and express themselves in a safe environment. With support and advice I threw myself into some of the various activities and really enjoyed it. I have now volunteered at 6 or 7 camps and worked with a number of different Camp Coordinators, all of whom have done an impressive job of balancing getting the work done and allowing some freedom to have fun. By the end of Camp on Sunday I was amazed at the transformation in many of the Campers who were now relating and expressing themselves with many happier looking faces. I had a mixture of feelings: exhaustion and some sadness it was all over and mostly absolute elation at the achievements I had been a small part of. Each camp has been like that.
Two years ago I was offered the opportunity to mentor a 14 year old boy. When that contract came to its agreed end I had a few months rest and have recently begun mentoring another young male. Mentoring, like Camp, is a challenge. It requires thought, commitment, time and patience. These young people who have been dealt a bad hand in a life I took for granted, they are humbling and inspirational in their courage and tenacity.
Why do I volunteer? It makes me feel good about myself, the challenges and new experiences give me opportunity for huge personal growth. I receive genuine recognition for my efforts and I like the way the young people and staff trust me.
I enjoy the regular training/ social events and the support and friendship of the staff and other volunteers.
If you get the opportunity to be a Youth Focus volunteer, grab it. It is immensely rewarding a privilege few will have.
