OUR WHY
BORN IN INNOCENCE....
Happy Baby - Positioning Youth To Prosper (PYP)
Sleeping Baby - Positioning Youth To Prosper (PYP)
Baby - Positioning Youth To Prosper (PYP)
Happy Baby - Positioning Youth To Prosper (PYP)
.......BUT SHAPED BY THEIR ENVIRONMENT
A MOTHER'S STORY....
from sunshine to rain
When a woman gives birth to a baby she see's nothing but perfection before her eyes as she checks every finger and toe. She proudly embraces her title of 'mother' as she tells herself that no other baby is as beautiful as hers. She has already decided that she would give her life for her newly found bundle of joy, as she looks down on this helpless little soul who is totally dependent on her for survival. She thinks to herself.... "Wow! I did this," as she continues to stare in awe of this miracle creation, and declaring secretly in her heart that "nothing will ever separate us."
As the years go by, she watches her baby grow and develop daily. She wipes the tears, cleans the cuts & bruises, encourages, praises and reprimands in love. She sees the changes in moods, temperament and attitude as her baby maneuvers through the various milestones and she experiences many up and down moments in their relationship as those teenage hormones rage war on her baby's developing temple. At times she finds the transitioning behaviour frustrating, challenging and sometimes even unacceptable and struggles with choices in; hairstyle, clothing, music, and friendships. Nevertheless, that overwhelming feeling of love that she felt from the day her baby was born is just too hard to shake, so despite the roller coaster moments, she continues to love her baby, and it shows in her eyes, because they are the windows to her heart.
But now we see her 15 years after giving birth. She is the same mother except now we see fear in her eyes as she drops the phone and rushes frantically through the door. Her slippers are on her feet and her coat is inside out. She climbs into the back of her daughter's car shaking uncontrollably. As the family arrive at the A & E department she doesn't know where to go, all she wants is to see her son. She see's a nurse at the reception desk and says; "Nurse, please take me to my son, he needs me, I've got to see him, please take me to him now, where is he?" The nurse looks at her eyes, she recognises that look, she sees her tears, she knows that pain well because she has witnessed this scene on so many occasions. She gently directs the mother to a quiet room as she turns to the other family members and asks " Is someone able to come with us?"
In the meantime the body shakes continue, they just won't stop, they can't stop, not until she knows her son is okay. "Where's my baby, I need to see my baby, just tell me that he's okay, why can't someone answer me?" The nurse says she is going to get a doctor to speak to the family, then she walks down the corridor and turns left, out of sight. She can't be seen now, and she's taking so long. As the mother waits, she sits down on the chair in the fetal position, just like her baby boy did when he lay in her womb for 9 months. She debates in her mind, "where is the doctor? Is he with my baby? Oh God, he's a good boy, please let my baby boy be alright."
Her mind traces back to when the hospital called the house, they said he was involved in an incident, but what incident, and why are all these police here? What's going on? No-one is telling her anything and the nurse seems to be gone forever! Then the door suddenly opens and in steps a middle aged man with a white coat and stethoscope around his neck. The same nurse stands beside him. They stare. The daughter stares. The mother stares, as she eagerly waits to hear the words "Your son is okay." But the doctor doesn't say that. Instead he says, "I'm sorry." The mother looks deeply into his eyes and though she sees his mouth moving she does not hear anything else he is saying, she just knows it's not good news, but with every ounce of hope in her heart she calmly asks; "Doctor please can I see my baby, he needs me?" Then as the doctor looks hopelessly back at her she makes a sudden dash for the door, but all arms rush to stop her. Then in an instance there comes that high pitched scream that the staff are so used to hearing, as she collapses to the floor......."Nooooooo!!!!"
As the word starts to spread, bodies start descending from everywhere; siblings, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends. The A & E department is filled with so much pain, it's incomprehensible. The howling, the banging, the crashing sounds are all too unbearable. Even the staff are consumed with grief as they try their best to console as many as they physically can but at the same time knowing that the pain this mother is feeling today, is the pain she will now carry for a lifetime.
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THE END....
"....of the life this mother once felt moving in her womb, and of the 'potential' that the world will now never get to know!"
what can pyp do to help prevent these scenarios?
The story above is extremely heartbreaking and very hard to comprehend. However, it stands as evidence of the devastation that a life of crime can cause for loved ones left behind. It further highlights the importance of the need for organisations like Positioning Youth To Prosper (PYP).
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PYP team members have experienced a number of cases that have included scenarios similar to this, and despite how much we see families suffering, there is never anything that we or any other organisation can ever do to bring back the young lives that have been so viciously and unlawfully taken or relieve the parents of their unwanted pain.
However we can always relate, not necessarily because we've lost a child in this way, but because we too are mothers and fathers. So we too feel the pain, and because we are connected through the gift of parenthood; when a mother cries, we cry, and when a father hurts, we hurt. In fact, every time a parent loses a child, a whole community of mothers and fathers lose a child. This is why we say that 'NO-ONE WINS'.... not the victim, the perpetrator, their families nor everyone else connected to them.
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The most meaningful thing Positioning Youth To Prosper (PYP) can do for our communities, is to make our 'WHY' continue to drive our organisation to do everything it can to prevent another mother and father from experiencing the loss of a child through youth violence. It is our hope that with the; co-operation of young people & their parents, alongside the combined efforts of our agency partners, and the willingness of the community to support us; that we WILL bring about the CHANGE we all desperately want to see.