Meet Emilie: a beautiful confident young woman, exemplary pupil, budding make-up artist, proud car owner with a part-time job. This was not the same girl a couple of years ago, however. Similarly to 30,000 other Australian children last year, Emilie has suffered a history of neglect.
Existing day-to-day, Emilie was subjected to a constant environment of domestic violence due to her mother’s series of abusive boyfriends. By the time she was 8-years-old she had been to nine different schools. She had a lot of trouble making friends and didn’t bother trying because she knew that she would just have to leave them again.
Emilie was devastated when DoCs took her two younger brothers away from her mother as she was deemed unfit to care from them. Emilie felt helpless and alone, and her behaviour began to change. She became very angry as she didn’t understand why no adult was there to care for them. Moving schools a few more times didn’t help.
From this point forward, Emilie’s story could have continued one of two ways. Thankfully at the age of 15, a school counsellor nominated Emilie for the Life Changing Experience Foundation (LCEF)’s SISTER2siter Program, knowing that it would give her some sense of stability and a positive female role model in her life. The 12-month mentoring program matches vulnerable girls like Emilie, with ‘Big Sister’ role models. Together each month, the girls and their mentors’ journey on ‘life changing’ experiences that help to build their confidence and trust.
