Jarno Korf (25) was sexually abused as a child. He lost confidence in the aid workers and became rebellious at school. He became depressed and only recovered when he found someone to tell his story to. He processed his own experiences in the performance ‘Let the light on’. The municipality of Moerdijk makes grateful use of this, because the number of young people with depressive thoughts there is above the national average.
Students of the Markland College in Zevenbergen listen attentively when musical actor Jarno Korf (25) pronounces his closing text: “Don’t let the light in yourself go out. Leave the light on.” The performance about his own struggle with depression makes a deep impression on the young people.
“I notice that it stirs up a lot in the room. For example, after the performance a girl came to me and wanted to share her story with me. Feeling heard is also very important for young people who are struggling with these problems.”
As a child, Jarno was sexually abused by his stepbrother. After his sister caught him with his stepbrother, his mother took him to a psychologist. That did not go well and Jarno lost confidence in the assistance.
“If you open up and talk about it, you’ll be fine.”
He became rebellious at school as he slipped deeper and deeper into depression inside. He even considered taking his own life. Around the age of eighteen he finally found the listening ear he was always looking for and he gets his life back on track.
Havo student Lotte (15) recognizes a lot from the performance. “In my own environment I also see peers who are struggling with gloomy feelings. They don’t feel like getting out of bed or doing anything. In the performance, Jarno holds up a mirror to them and says that if you open up and talk about it, it will be all right.”
In the Netherlands, one in five young people suffer from gloom and depressive thoughts. In the municipality of Moerdijk, that number is even slightly higher. With the event ‘Laat het Licht aan’, Moerdijk wants to make the theme negotiable for young people and parents with the performance of the same name and lessons at school.
“I want to get the young people talking.”
Alderman Pauline Joosten has no explanation for the high number of young people struggling with depression in her municipality: “For me, the approach is more important than the numbers. This low-threshold way is a good example of this. I myself have experienced first hand what the consequences can be for a family. For me, this topic is therefore high on my list of priorities.”
Jarno made the performance ‘Laat het licht aan’ as a graduation production at the Frank Sanders Akademie. After the rave reviews, it was soon clear that his story deserved a national stage. “I want to get the young people talking. That they know that it is not taboo to talk about depression or suicidal feelings. This also includes emotions and that is not a bad thing at all,” says Jarno.
Talking about thoughts of suicide helps and can be done, for example, via 113 Suicide Prevention: call 0800-0113 or chat via 113.nl.