One participant in the Breaking Free program had not attended school for over three years. This person had no permanent housing, no adult care giver, and no consistent means of obtaining the basic necessities of life. They shared in group that from the age of 9 they didn’t know where their next meal was coming from or where they would be sleeping on any given night. They were on their own with no one to care for them. This person was reluctant to share details of the trauma they experienced, however it was apparent they had endured a great deal of hardship. As a result they did not always make the most appropriate choices and at times would resort to violence as a means of solving challenges.
In 2016 this person enrolled at St John Bosco school and was encouraged to participate in the “Breaking Free: Better Choices = Better Relationships” program. This person suffered extreme social anxiety and depression. They admittedly came to group with the intention of only attending one session, and their motivation for attending was just to eat the food that was available.
As the weeks passed this person attended group week after week, never missing a session. They participated reluctantly at first, sometimes not sharing more than one or two comments, but as they learned strategies to manage their social anxiety they evolved into an active group participant. They became a leader among the other participants, offering suggestions and strategies for how they can make better life choices. Anxiety, aggression and anger became less and less of a struggle for this young person. By the last week of group they were still living in the same stable home environment with people who genuinely cared for them. They were able to identify appropriate strategies for managing anxiety and how to make good choices when they were angry. Violence and abuse were replaced by healthy coping skills.