I’m Sara, 25-years-old and working as a full-time advocate for children and young people. I also study full-time.
On stigma
I felt stigma deeply and personally and this was from the moment I entered care at 12. People often saw my behaviour but not my story. Teachers, workers, even peers made assumptions about me, that I was “trouble”, “too hard”, or “the problem”.
What they didn’t see was a scared kid just trying to survive. It hurt when people treated me like a label instead of a person.
The garbage bags, the silence around my story, and the way decisions were made for me, not with me, all of it made me feel less than.
Owning my story
I found strength in sharing my truth. For a long time, I believed I was the problem, but when I started speaking up and connecting with people who really saw me, things changed. I realised my behaviours were a response to trauma, not a reflection of my worth.
It helped when people didn’t treat me like a case file, but as a young person with potential.
I found healing through connection, community, and the courage to own my story without shame.
Sara’s advice – You are not a burden
You are not the negative things people say or assume about you. The way you’ve survived says so much more about you than any label ever could. People might judge what they don’t understand, that’s not your burden to carry. Find people who listen, who care, and who make space for the real you.
There’s nothing wrong with you for being in care, what’s wrong is how people treat you because of it. You are not too much. You’re not broken. You’re not a burden. You are a person with a story, and you deserve people who stay, people who see past your behaviour and understand your pain.
Even if it feels like no one’s listening now, please don’t give up. Keep showing up for yourself. You get to write your future, not your past.
What needs to change
One consistent, safe person can make a lifetime of difference
I want the system to stop seeing kids as placements and start seeing them as people. Relationships and stability need to come before red tape and rules.
What made the biggest difference for me, while I was in care, was the people who stayed. The carers who didn’t give up when I pushed, the teachers who didn’t label me, the moments someone listened without judgement. That human connection, that’s what changes lives.
Decisions should be made with young people, not about them.
And I wish there was more emotional safety, not just physical. One consistent, safe person can make a lifetime of difference. I know, because when someone showed up for me like that, it changed everything.
What's next for Sara
In five years, I see myself continuing to use my story to create change, whether that’s in youth advocacy, mental health, or supporting young people in care. I want to be someone who stands in the gap for others like me, someone who knows what it’s like to survive chaos but chooses to build something better from it.
I want to be thriving, grounded, and still growing.
Thank you, Sara for sharing how you #SnapThatStigma
Do you have a story to share? Email marketing@create.org.au to join of our #SnapThatStigma campaign.
