cath
Hearing stories of how presentations have challenged young people’s long standing choices, and how they have come out of the other side and have seen new hope and a new way of standing up for what they believe is right – knowing they are unique and valued – is the best thing of all.
A few weeks ago we visited a school in Carmarthen with our new presentation Wholehearted. This presentation addresses the issues of self esteem, self worth, identity and the importance of celebrating and trusting our own unique individuality.
At the end of the presentation we stay around in case any one has any questions that they didn’t want to ask as part of the group discussion. It was here that I met a girl called Rebecca*. I sat with her for at least 10 minutes and she poured her heart out about how she had related to a character in the play who doesn’t seem to fit in. She told me how she was lonely, and sometimes wished she was a bit more like her best friend Sian.
Sian in her words was ‘pretty’ and ‘popular’, ‘fun’ and ‘exciting’, whereas she was ‘just’ intelligent. However she went on to explain that the play had been a real positive experience for her; she noted that in relating to one of the characters, and seeing her positive journey of becoming confident in who she was, it had encouraged her to look at who she was from a different point of view. Her words to me were:
‘It’s quite funny really, the girl who reminded me the most of me, was the girl that I liked the most. Maybe she wasn’t the prettiest, maybe she was quite unpopular, and she definitely didn’t fit in like the other two, but she was the nicest person out of them all, and I guess that’s what counts!’
I watched her walk out of the hall and was thoroughly encouraged. It was a moment where I had seen eyes that were again filled with hope, she had found new strength to believe in herself. What a moment! One that I felt privileged to share with Rebecca and one that I don’t hope to forget for a long time yet.
*All names have been changed.