Last night I heard a young woman talk – in front of a roomful of people – about her experience of escaping war torn Sierra Leone. As a child she lost her young sister and had a son at aged just 13 after really dreadful circumstances. Her dad urged her to get to the UK as she had no life there. She had a relative here in the UK and she managed to get over at around aged 15 I think. But there were more dreadful experiences that she faced when she arrived. She spent a terrible few years homeless and with no support for her and her child. Eventually she met someone good at a youth club she was passing in Liverpool – she went in there because she felt she had nothing left to live for and it was literally a last hope for her.
Thankfully that person genuinely helped her and has remained her mentor since then. She has been able to get support for education and work and she at last feels she has a future. She told me afterwards that her son is in Africa and she is working hard to bring him over permanently.
The clubs we support will provide chances for both children and adults, some with regular lives with normal day to day challenges and some with massive trauma behind them. Giving those groups the support to provide for those thousands of young people and adults who are looking for something – whether it’s a chance to take part in sport, make friends or seek a life saving opportunity – is our small role in helping society move through its life cycles.
It’s why you run clubs, groups and projects and why the team at Groop are passionate at helping you do so.
Sally
