‘All That Glitters’

Heading back towards the car park I saw this young person looking very sad, and lost and totally disconnected.

But it was the shop premises which she was sitting outside that almost seemed to mockingly sum up the harsh realities which many of our young people are facing in Society today.

From my own experiences I have learned that it is all too easy to make assumptions about such cases; and to convince yourself that what you might think is best for a person; is actually correct? Or indeed is even faintly appropriate to their actual needs or circumstances!

If asked the question though most people would state if they were being honest that they don’t like to see people in situations such as this.

More importantly though aside from offering money or coffee or food they are at a loss to know what exactly is the right thing to do?

So I must admit that personally despite my genuinely wanting to offer similar help or even to try and share a well intentioned act of kindness; I can also appreciate that sentiments such as these are often misinterpreted and can so easily be treated with suspicion and understandable resentment.

When you have spent time working with young people who have found themselves struggling with a raft of problems it is not surprising many have become so mistrusting of adult intervention or offers of professional support.

I know that there ae many superb organisations out there and many volunteers who make it there business to seek out and help people in need on our streets. I hope that this young woman was aware of such support and not been allowed to completely fall through the net?

I am always reluctant to put up such images as this one today; but more and more now it seems many of us feel unable to know what is the best thing to do when presented with such situations?

Like so many others I wish there was more that could be done. More often than not though… it’s so much easier to simply walk on by!