Young Consultant Julia is a young person with a care experience who has got some awesome tips for young people who have to move house and how to make it more manageable and as easy as possible.
As a young person in care you have probably had to change homes more than once. Maybe even multiple times. As you know this can be a stressful a time, making you feel many different emotions. You might feel sad, confused, angry and maybe even a little lonely. You might have to move away from friends and family, change schools and move to a new area. The good news is there are things you can do to help make moving easier. As a young person who experienced many moves during my time in care, I developed a few ways to make the moves easier.
My first strategy to make moving more manageable was to join a community group that I was interested in separate from my placement or workers. For me it was a church program but it could be a sporting team, a swimming club or even a scrapbooking group – anything you have a passion in. This meant that even though I didn’t have stability at home I had stability in my community, making me feel like I didn’t have to recreate my whole identity.
My second tip is to keep in contact with friends that you made along the way. Even though you might have moved away from them there are so many mediums that you can use to stay in contact such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat. You could even write them a letter, give them a call or facetime them.
My last tip for making moving more manageable is to be able to say goodbye to the people you
may not see again. This is not always achievable but I know when I got the chance it made moving easier and less emotional. It gives a sense of closure and security and gives you the opportunity to say what you want to say with the knowledge that this journey might be over but another one is about to start. Just remember its okay to not feel okay and moving, no matter how many times you have done it, can be an adjustment. Just remember you are stronger and more resilient than you think and you have the strength to keep trying, so don’t be too hard on yourself and know it is okay to ask for help when you need it. Keep doing you!
A big thank you to Young Consultant Julia for contributing these helpful tips to the latest edition of the clubCREATE magazine. You rock!
