Anna Nunn ID expereince
After this we encouraged the girls to share with the rest of the group what their hopes and dreams had been when they were younger. They all contributed to the discussion, and also wanted to know what the leaders' hopes and dreams had been.
It was really nice to know that they were interested in us - it indicated that they want to build their relationships with us. As the conversation progressed, they started talking about the decisions and lifestyle choices they've made in the past, and how they regret some of them, and how they wish things could be different.
The group really opened up to each other; some were even painfully honest with the rest of the group. It was a beautiful, but kinda heartbreaking thing to witness. Each of them shared stories about past relationships, and the way the boys involved had left them feeling. They spoke about their relationships with their parents; a few of the girls said that they wished they could talk to their parents about their lives, but were ashamed of the people they'd become, and didn't want their parents to know.
For the first time, they were honest about how they think other people see them, and their reputation at school amongst the teachers and amongst the other students. Most of them are frustrated about their reputations, and they wish people could understand that there's so much more to them than meets the eye.
The most encouraging thing about today's session was that we were able to show them that it's not too late for them to change their lives.
Most of them really hadn't realised that it was still possible to make a difference to their relationships and their reputations - with some of them it felt almost as though we'd thrown them a lifeline! They each committed to journaling over the next week about some of the feelings and issues today's session brought up.
I really felt like we got through to the girls today. It was such an amazing feeling to know that I've been a part of something that will change their lives. This is EXACTLY what I was hoping to get out of the gap year - I just didn't realise it would happen so soon! =)










