At the age of 11 I was leading myself down the wrong path, surrounded myself with people who smoked drugs/cigarettes, consumed alcohol, got into fights and stole. I did the same things just so I could fit in. I was also bullied to the point it made me feel so low about myself, made me feel alone and in response to that I would self-harm. Every cut relieved me, made me feel better, to see the blood drip felt like the pain was drifting away, days I would try to commit suicide but something always went wrong.One day I realised I needed help ASAP! That's when I became a part of TYLA (Turn Your Life Around), they help 'at risk' youth. When I first started I was completely shy, I never wanted to interact with anyone or anything. Then eventually I was crawling out of my shell. TYLA opened doors for me and gave me opportunities that I would never have had. I experienced a lot within this youth programme, I did things I hadn't done before. One main thing they did was help me when I really needed it, they kept me out of trouble so I could build a brighter future for myself. I made a bond with all the social workers as if they were all my own family.
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