One of the students at the farm speaks these words on a video – you can watch it here on our YouTube channel. Her opening line, regarding life before the farm was:
‘It was dark for me and nothing was bright.’
Filling in a young person with colours is a powerful analogy and brings, to my mind, a work of art not yet finished, or a story ready to be continued in a previously undreamt of direction.
It also makes me think of the young people who come to the farm with spaces within, previously taken up by drug taking or dangerous self-injurious behaviour. At TCF these voids are filled by nurturing staff, by care and support, counselling and listening.
Also poured into the empty spaces are skills and certificates and a toolbox full of new coping strategies. Added and blended are self-belief and renewed self-esteem as a result of the increasing levels of education and training.
A young person going through the Triple Care Farm rehab program and learning how to manage their addiction and mental health is a work in progress. We should never underestimate the enormity of the challenge that addiction presents. No-one ever chooses to face addiction or the dark coloured world that it brings.
Thanks to your support and the dedication of the staff at TCF, young people can choose a different path and give themselves the opportunity to paint a picture they’d like to see themselves in.
A picture and a future filled with bright colours.
Anna Martin Beaumont
