Michelle had a baby when she was 19. Six months later, her relationship ended, after which she threatened to end up on the street. Michelle: “I didn’t have a good relationship with my parents and I didn’t know where to go. I was nineteen, went back to school and had an eight-month-old child. I knocked on the door of the municipality because I wanted to know what my options were. They had no information for me and could not tell me where to go. I sought help wherever I could, but I was on my own.”
Help from an unexpected quarter
In the end, Michelle ended up on the couch with her parents. “That situation was not sustainable for long, because there was a lot of friction. Fortunately, there was a teacher who cared about me and referred me to the dean. This is how I found out that as a single parent I am entitled to certain financial contributions. At that time I had already contacted a mother-child home to stay there, but there was no place. When it escalated with my parents, I went to a shelter. There I looked for a home under supervision through Thuis in Limburg. I was lucky: I quickly found a home. I was slowly able to pick up my life again.”
Michelle now has a job in education and she is committed to others who have experienced something similar. Through Save the Children she became an ambassador for Speaking Minds, a program in which children and young people contribute ideas and advise on local municipal policy. In this way they can tell themselves what they need and what the municipality can do in practice to help them. “I want to create less distance between the municipality and young people,” says Michelle. “In a difficult situation you need someone who takes a humane attitude, is genuinely interested and wants to help you. The contact must be accessible.”
No way out
Michelle believes it is important to break the taboo on mental health. That’s exactly what she’s trying to do with Speaking Minds. “I share my story so that others know they are not alone. Only by talking about it will you progress. I want to encourage others so that they don’t give up. I know what it feels like to get to that point. When all doors are slammed shut, you start to think that it must be up to you and that there are no more solutions. I felt so weak and at one point saw no way out. I thought: it’s better if I put an end to it.”
Children speak out
It wasn’t until Michelle discovered Speaking Minds that she found out that there are all kinds of agencies she could have turned to. “When I sought help, I couldn’t find all that information. That is why I think it is important that more awareness is created. The taboo and shame make the barrier to ask for help even greater. That is why it is important that there is more talk about it and that help is made more accessible. There are certainly opportunities and you are not alone. If we open up the subject for discussion, we can all do something about it.”
Children and young people who have to deal with an unsafe home situation, financial insecurity or other stressful circumstances are entitled to support. Save the Children is committed to healthy mental development for all children and young people. With the Speaking Minds program they get a voice themselves. They can advise municipalities and local organizations on topics such as poverty, debt, youth care and health care – in other words, the subjects that directly affect children. This kind of initiative gives Michelle and other young people a safe environment to speak out and receive help. Would you like to know more about the children’s rights organisation, Speaking Minds and other initiatives? You will find all the information on the Save the Children’s website†