James was lonely. His house felt too big and empty for a small boy like him to live in alone. To earn money, his parents worked from the break of dawn to the end of the day, leaving James to care for himself after school was over. He yearned for love and friendship to fill his hours, and searched endlessly for ways to connect with people. This is when he found the Salvation Army’s Youth Development Centre (YDC)¬─ a place that seemed to fulfill his needs. The YDC had sports, recreational, music and arts programs that facilitated his needs of friendship-making with other youths, as well as counselling and mentoring services that he could easily approach if he ever needed to talk to someone about his troubles.

James decided to give counselling and mentoring a go, sharing with the staff that one of the things he was struggling with was being confident. He wanted to gain the courage to step out of his comfort zone, as well as the ability to stop doubting himself. YDC took note of this and formulated a detailed plan to help James achieve his goal. By using a strength-based approach to grow James’ talents and interests, YDC created special opportunities for James to learn and overcome his self-doubts. It allowed James to build on his self-esteem, thus allowing him the space and time he needed to gradually become a more confident person.

YDC was a place where James felt safe to talk about his struggles. There was no judgement from the open-minded counsellors, so he felt as though he could talk freely about the things that was troubling him. They gave him the emotional support he needed, along with feasible advice that he could follow. James grew under this programme, and decided to challenge himself to take on leadership positions in the YDC to further develop his skills.

James is one of the countless number of youths whose lives have been transformed by The Salvation Army. With your support, we will be able to reach out to more youths in need of help. We will be able to empower and challenge them to achieve their goals and help them become leaders with a heart to serve. Thank you for helping us make a difference with your donation today!

*Name has been changed and a volunteer model was used in the photograph, to safeguard the beneficiaries.