I Want to Give Back to the People Who Have Raised and Shaped Me

Growing up‭, ‬Chelsea’s‭* ‬most basic needs were often neglected‭. ‬As a result‭, ‬she suffered from depression and malnourishment up until her early teens‭.‬‭ ‬At 7‭, ‬Chelsea contemplated suicide‭, ‬thinking it was the only way she could get attention‭.

“Because I thought at least someone would pity me
and pay attention to me‭.”

After her mother committed suicide and her father was found to be preying on young girls‭, ‬Chelsea was taken out of her father’s custody‭. ‬In September 2019‭, ‬she was eventually placed in HCSA Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre (DRTC)‭. ‬During her time at HCSA DRTC‭, ‬Chelsea resumed attending secondary school and was also put through a structured holistic programme that included Emotional Regulation‭ (‬ER‭) ‬drills and behavioural education‭. ‬

Chelsea has since graduated from the programme and is now waiting to enrol into a polytechnic‭. ‬In the future‭, ‬she hopes to be able to work with children and teenagers who have suffered from the same experience she’s had‭. ‬“I want to give back to the people who have raised me and shaped me so well‭,‬”‭ ‬she shares‭. ‬“I also want to be the kind of person that the kids need‭, ‬the kind of person that the staff in HCSA DRTC were to me‭; ‬people who were my safe space and will listen to me‭.‬”‭ ‬

‭*‬Name has been changed to protect beneficiary’s identity‭.

“Because I thought at least someone would pity meand pay attention to me‭.”

“Because I thought at least someone would pity me
and pay attention to me‭.”