Have you heard about the phrase "Security within Security"? Sometimes a child grows up in an environment where most of their physical needs are secured and catered for but with the neglect of their emotional aspect of their being, causing the individual to become an unbalanced adult in the later years. Much as it is important to create a secure home for the child, it is also important to encourage an environment where they can be allowed to express themselves in order to become the authentic version of who they were created to be.
What skills and resources were you able to draw from the community for this project?
Discovering the source of the debilitating behaviour of helplessness has empowered me to be able to set healthy boundaries. As a result it is my intention to work with young people both male and female who have been disempowered as a result of bullying or their gender. Low-self esteem can sometimes enact a sense of helplessness and ultimately causing young people to engage in delinquent behaviours such as drug abuse, prostitution, youth marriages or becoming bullies themselves. Sometimes even if they survive the challenging circumstances in their youth becoming dysfunctional professionals and fail to become good role models in their families.
The challenges
The family and home environment must be a safe place where young and growing minds are encouraged to explore who they are through self-expression. The development of the skill of self-expression is pivotal in adulthood as it helps the individual to communicate their thoughts clearly and enable them to set boundaries in life.
Addressing the challenges
The project has revealed the root of the mental illness such as anxiety and depressions that I have lived with for most years of my life. The desperate need to please others at the expense of my wellbeing caused me to get involved in a number of dysfunctional and toxic relationships both in my social and professional circles.
The achievements
The project was enlightening and brought about some personal healing for me. The safe environment it created encouraged an intense and deeper discovery through identifying the root causes that have impacted on my personality thus explaining the reason for some disruptions in my life. As a result my first-hand experience through the process has empowered me with knowledge. My perceptions about situations, relationships and others have been expanded, helping me to understand the authentic me and building genuine and congeal social and professional relationships.
Token Project / Move One Million
Johannesburg, South Africa