In the end, the one person you’ll always have in your life…is yourself. – Emily
Before I joined Youth Opportunities, I was shy, uncertain, and constantly doubting myself. I was too afraid to step out of my comfort zone and always had this feeling that I wasn’t good enough. At work, I used to only talk to people I knew. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to others – I was just too scared. Scared they wouldn’t like me or find me annoying. I didn’t know where I was heading or what I wanted my future to look like – and that made me feel stuck.
Since joining Youth Opportunities, I’ve changed in ways I never imagined. I’ve become a more positive and confident person, not just in how I see the world, but in how I see myself. I no longer doubt my self-worth, and I can now start and hold conversations with new people without feeling scared or small.
Looking back, one of the most helpful habits I’ve gained through this journey is something simple, but powerful: sending stars, not black holes. This means choosing kindness – whether that’s a smile, compliment, or encouragement. It’s such a small habit, but it’s made a big difference to how I connect with others, and how I feel about myself. In the past, I would’ve never been able to start conversations with people I didn’t usually talk to. Now, I’ve built the confidence to do exactly that.
Youth Opportunities helped me to learn something important: in the end, the one person you’ll always have in your life… is yourself. I learned to stop revolving my world around others and start figuring out what I wanted from life. I even started looking into my dream career and setting goals for the future – and that gave me a real sense of direction. My youth worker noticed a change in me too – I’m more independent, motivated, and finally choosing myself.
And that, to me, is what real growth looks like.
