Youth stories from the YLC program
Wed 9 Mar 2016
Lauren
The highlight of the weekend for me was definitely the empowering final session with Reach that taught me that leadership doesn’t have to always be a big gesture in order to inspire others and is definitely something I will take away into my interactions with local youth in the future.
There is an amazing support network out there for all types of bleeding disorders, male or female, that are always willing to help without judgement or hesitation.
Emily
My favourite part of the weekend was writing a rap with Mantra. It was incredibly fun to get creative and put our feelings about bleeder struggles and resilience in words and to put them to music. It was eye opening to discover what everyone found to be the most difficult part of having a bleeding disorder and how they had to overcome these issues. It was heartening to be able to voice these opinions in such a supportive environment.
The biggest thing I learned from this weekend is that the future leaders of this community are an amazing group of people who really understand what we need and want and that we are in good hands.
Nathan
Reach allowed for deep thought and conversation about leadership, it was a workshop that helped me find some realisation of what it means to be a leader.
One thing I learned from this weekend was that it’s okay to share your worry and doubts. People just want what is best for you and by speaking up it will allow for younger people to get the help and answers they need.
Ben
My highlight was getting to hang out brainstorming with such like-minded people – that is always brilliant.
One thing I have learned is that there are others out there fighting for what’s important to us.
Caleb
My highlight was meeting other people with bleeding disorders and sharing stories between each other on different experiences that we have gone through, good and bad. Another highlight was learning about how they dealt with these at the time and what needed to be done to fix the problem.
On the thing I have learnt from the weekend is how important it is for younger people with a bleeding disorder to have an older mentor to look up to. Especially as it gives someone else to talk to other than their mother or father, brothers or sisters about haemophilia.
Does this sound like fun to you? Be involved in the program next year!
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