Shy’s Story

Something that I have learnt while being with W.H.Y is that it's more than okay to be yourself, be authentic and original. We all have something unique about ourselves and different gifts but even with our differences, we are all one and we bring individual flavours to the table!

I’m 23 years old, born and raised in South Auckland. I am the oldest of three and the only girl. My cultures are Maori, Samoan and Niuean. Growing up, I was basically the princess in my family, a very quiet and shy child who always clung to her cousins if not the adults. One of my biggest challenges was fitting in as I was growing up. This was mainly in social places such as school because I struggled to make connections with people who weren’t my family. Several years ago I lost my Dad to suicide. It's been the hardest thing I've ever experienced.

It was in 2015, I had a friend attend one of the What Hope Summer Camps and I was interested to go, mainly cause I didn’t have anything else to do. I came along and met all the What Hope youth leaders at that time. It was such a warm feeling that I felt and really enjoyed the company. From that time onwards, I started attending the youth nights as well as any other events that were happening. They became my second family real fast! They were there for me when I lost my Dad. If it wasn't for W.H.Y (What Hope Youth) I wouldn’t have been able to find my true identity and purpose. “Titiro whakamuri, Kokiri whakamua. Look back and reflect so you can move forward!”

During my journey with W.H.Y, I have grown immensely. I went from a girl who always hid behind her friends, never would say anything in front of a group, always clung to a leader if my friends weren’t around or I would happily sit in a corner and not participate. Now, I'm a girl who leads youth nights, not as afraid to speak in front of a group and always keen to help out those who remind me of myself to come out of their shell.

Something that I have learnt while being with W.H.Y is that it's more than okay to be yourself, be authentic and original. We all have something unique about ourselves and have different gifts but even with our differences, we are all one and we bring individual flavours to the table!

I’ve just finished my Diploma in Youth Work Development and working full-time with Solomon Group. My dream for the future is that I can be more confident in myself to help others come out of their shell and grow. I hope that our young people can continue to see potential no matter the different walks of life and setbacks they've had.