Peer Researcher Blog: ‘Life-changing’ Experience with EYHC
Over the last year, I’ve been given a few opportunities to voice my opinion as someone who’s experienced youth homelessness. I was invited down to Cardiff alongside a group of other young people who have been through similar circumstances.
It’s difficult to describe the amount of catharsis a trip like this awarded me. Though, in a word I’d define it as life-changing. Even something like travelling down to Cardiff was huge for me. A lot of my life has been very limited in what I can actually do - especially whilst experiencing homelessness - and prior to EYHC’s offer, going to visit a major city like Cardiff was nothing but a pipe dream.
That’s not to mention the incredible things that I’ve been able to see during my trips to Cardiff; The Senedd and the BBC offices namely. Visiting such important political institutions gave me a lot of novel insight into how Wales operates. What was most valuable, however, was witnessing the potential for my own personal input actually spark positive change on a national scale.
Both times I visited the offices of EYHC we were given exercises that helped me reevaluate how my peers and I approach problem solving. Diversity plays a large role in these experiences; hearing differing opinions on hypotheticals or complex problems helps me approach things in a more considerate way. It also improves communication and establishes a bond among the group that I work with.
The environment was one where I felt very respected whilst also being granted sufficient agency to make my voice heard. A lot of being homeless is about the opposite; being forced to present yourself in a manner that’s more pleasing to authority for the sake of survival. Here, I was able to let my identity define what I was saying, and what I wished to represent. I’d describe the experience as truly liberating, despite the subject matter of these sessions, they were times where I felt most like myself, unhampered by expectations of authority.
The other participants were also highlights of the events. The shared chemistry of the group over our experiential overlap of homelessness was something I found reassuring. We shared stories amongst one another and reflected on our differences as well as our similarities. Since many of us struggle either financially or physically to travel long distances, EYHC was paramount in giving us the chance to meet one another.
For myself, living in a relatively isolated community, being given this chance to exist among people who I relate to heavily, and to spend time with them – it gives me hope for my own future.
Overall, I couldn’t think of these opportunities more positively. I owe EYHC my thanks, for giving me so much motivation to continue striving for my own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of others. It’s an experience that’s allowed me to view the world through a more charitable and sociable lens. All I can hope for is that it has inspired my peers in a similar way, and that we’ll all be given more opportunities like this in future.