Covid-19 service updatesIn an ideal world, Maya* would be focusing all her attention on finishing school, before pursuing further studies and establishing a career. Instead, she is studying as much as she can during year 12, whilst working part-time to support herself and looking for a stable place to live.
Having just turned 18, Maya has been in and out of foster care since the age of 9. As a result of all the moves, she has attended twelve different schools. To get to one of them, she spent hours travelling every day, catching two trains and a bus each way. She has also struggled to maintain any long-term friendships or have anyone she can call a family. However, when you meet Maya, her tenacity shines through all her experiences.
Maya’s parents struggled with mental health issues. Both also had significant problems with drug addiction. Maya lived with her mum as a young child, but her mum’s psychotic episodes and neglect of Maya eventually resulted in her being placed into foster care. Maya recalls her mum leaving the oven on once all night, saying that she wanted them both to die.
At the age of 13, Maya started smoking cannabis, which escalated into taking many other drugs over the next few years. This was exacerbated when Maya’s father died of a heroin overdose when she was 15.
Maya’s parents struggled with mental health issues. Both also had significant problems with drug addiction. Maya lived with her mum as a young child, but her mum’s psychotic episodes and neglect of Maya eventually resulted in her being placed into foster care. Maya recalls her mum leaving the oven on once all night, saying that she wanted them both to die.
At the age of 13, Maya started smoking cannabis, which escalated into taking many other drugs over the next few years. This was exacerbated when Maya’s father died of a heroin overdose when she was 15.
Maya recognised that she was having difficulties and started to see a psychologist from headspace who ultimately referred her to an Odyssey House Youth Worker, Sara. Maya explains that right from the beginning, she felt she could be honest with Sara about the extent of her drug use, and that she didn’t feel judged. Sara says,
“Maya was very street smart at 15, and she had an extensive knowledge about drugs and alcohol. I was unsure how I was going to support her and whether she would even engage with me, considering her long history with other services. However, she continued to turn up to our sessions, week after week, never late and always engaged and open. We built rapport quite quickly and I realised that she felt safe when she was in sessions. I started learning more about Maya’s strengths and found her to be an extremely intelligent, likeable and funny young person, who was motivated to change her life for the better.”
Sara worked with Maya for a long time, as she was a very vulnerable young person that was at-risk of significant harm. At the start, Maya needed support around her substance use – to learn about her reasons for using and what triggered it, how to manage her cravings, and how to prevent relapsing once she had stopped. Maya completed three residential detox stays to give her the best chance of reducing her substance use safely.
As time went on, Maya’s needs changed. Sara supported her to link in with Child Protection, obtain crisis accommodation, find mental health supports, and enrol in an alternative education setting that was more flexible. Sara adds,
“I felt like what Maya really needed was to be supported by an adult who was safe, stable and compassionate towards her – kind of like a big sister or a mum would have been.”
Our Youth & Families Team support many young people, including those whose parents are struggling with their own addictions. It takes a great deal of strength and courage for young people to forge their own way in the world with such a beginning, especially one that may be different to their family’s view of what is right or wrong.
Maya now says that her perspective on drugs has changed and that she doesn’t see the benefit in using them anymore. Maya simply wants “to be stable” and with the maturity of someone well beyond her years, she adds
“you don’t have to be what your environment is.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for many Australians, with vulnerable young people being particularly affected in negative ways. Despite the strong investment from Government, and programs like those we have at Odyssey House, there is so much more we need to do to help other young people like Maya.
Support from people like you, can make a big difference. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today.
Kind regards
