I Am Hope

In Term 1, we had people called ‘I Am Hope’ come and talk to us about raising self-esteem and not keep your feelings bottled up. As they explained it is like holding a ball underwater. The longer you hold it under the water the harder it is going to hit you when it comes up. They told us their stories like how they couldn’t pursue their dreams because they were not brave enough. I thought that it took courage. 

I found it very awe-inspiring how they decided to do something about it. It definitely taught me about not being afraid to ask for help and not be stoic. They also told me how to support someone if they are going through something or they are depressed.

Tommaso Esposito Year 8

Last term some wonderful people who were working with a company called ‘I AM HOPE’, came and visited the Te Maunga class… 

By some people, specifically, I mean three. They introduced themselves as Tye, Hailey, and Kai. Kai was their photographer, and Tye and Hailey were there to talk to us about their own real experiences with ‘I AM HOPE’. 

Each of the two individually told and explained to our class about what they had gone through in their lives in the past, and how ‘I AM HOPE’ reached out a hand to pull them out of the dark figurative holes that they felt as if they were in. They talked to us about their problems, their life situations, and overall just how they were feeling at the time. They also told us how they dealt with it, and how they discovered ‘I AM HOPE’ in the first place. 

It probably took each of them about thirty minutes to talk to us about everything that they wanted to say, but that was fine because they had a lot to share and get off their chests! They just wanted to show us that they were not afraid to share their feelings and also they wanted to spread the word about the amazing ‘I AM HOPE’.  

Tye’s story was about how he had felt distant from his family, and how he just wanted to prove to them that was really trying to impress them and trying to reach his goals and dreams. He wanted to show them that he was worth being a part of the family and worth all the special relationships, especially the one towards his dad.

As for Hailey, her story included how she had to ‘raise’ her sisters in the spotlight of her parents almost because they were never around. But when they were, they would just fight. She grew up in this life and clearly wasn’t too happy with it. 

Both stories were very overwhelming and powerful and made everyone listening think and realise that they didn’t have to be afraid to ask for help, and that there was always someone to turn to, even if they weren’t in a bad state at the time. 

At the end of the session, Tye, Hailey, and Kai gave everyone in the class a very special wrist band, with the words ‘I AM HOPE’ on it, and the website that they could go to to find help. 

I really enjoyed their visit and would definitely like to see them again. I am so glad that people are taking scenarios and problems like this seriously, and that they are grabbing more and more attention to the facts. They are letting a lot of people know about this so that everyone knows that lots of people go through this and that they are NOT alone. 

So spread the word! If you need help or know someone else that might then google ‘I AM HOPE’! 

Mia Adams 

Year 8