Change needed to make things better
‘‘God gave me a path to walk on which led to freedom.’’
The Facebook page Humans of South Auckland aims to tell stories that are real, raw and relatable. This week’s featured Human is Jazz.
If there is one key lesson I have learned in life, it is this: Nothing will ever get better unless you choose to make the change. As a 19-year-old, I stand strong, free and visionary, but it hasn’t always been like that.
As a 3-year-old girl, I was sexually abused by two different men. Reading my Child, Youth and Family files, the interviewer says I went from ‘bubbly and outgoing’ to ‘dull and lacking emotion’ within a month. I grew up living out the words spoken over me as a kid: that I am worthless, unwanted and stupid. I was bullied at school and had issues at home.
As a young girl, I woke up every day accepting that I was hated by many, and I went to sleep every night not caring if I woke up in the morning. I lied to cover my pain and every day I wore a mask, so much so that I forgot who I was.
I endured six years with depression and on multiple occasions I attempted to take my life, but something always saved me. I now know, as a 19-year-old, that my God saved me because he had a purpose for my life.
This year I launched a website called Voices of Hope with my friend Genevieve. The website shares the stories of inspiring and influential people around our country and the world to show people that, no matter what you are going through, you can overcome it. The response and stories we have received have been overwhelming! Through this, I have recently been nominated for the Attitude ‘Youth of the Year’ award and also ‘People’s Choice’.
The change in my life from two years ago is amazing. God gave me a path to walk on which led to freedom. I just had to make the choice to follow it. Life is tough, and we sometimes feel like we are stuck in a storm, but the reality is that nothing will change unless you choose to make it change.
Humans of South Auckland is an idea based on Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York Facebook page. They have recently collected 140 stories to make a book that will be distributed back into the community for free. More stories can be found on their Facebook page: Humans of South Auckland OFFICIAL or website www.hosa.co.nz. The HOSA vision is: To develop hope and pride in our South Auckland community by sharing stories of people as individuals, not stereotypes or statistics.