Amo was 18 years old with a thriving beauty business; life was going well until one change in circumstance brought things crashing down. Fortunately, her sister knew about Visionwest and suggested Amo give us a call.
“I was 18 years old with my own business. Things were going well for me, life was great, but then I got pregnant, and things fell apart. Suddenly, I felt like I just couldn’t cope. Small things became big things. I was stressed and unsure of where my life was headed. The bottom-line is, I was young and scared; I didn’t know how to be a mum.
“My sister suggested I contact Visionwest. She’d spent time with Ōhinga Tū [Visionwest’s youth service] and found it helpful. To be honest, she didn’t give me a choice. She texted them my number and Keegan, one of Visionwest’s Youth Coaches, called me.
“Asking for help is probably the hardest part of making changes in your life, especially for a young mum because we know we’ve put ourselves in this situation and so asking for help is difficult.”
Ōhinga Tū was the perfect place for Amo. She met with Keegan and plans were made for him to become her youth coach – a mentoring relationship that lasted about a year.
Amo says she felt, ‘safe’ coming to Ōhinga Tū and getting to know her Youth Coach. “I felt my stress level drop. I was somewhere safe and judgement-free. With Keegan, I felt like I’d met a friend. He was so friendly, open, and non-judgmental; best of all, he would listen more than he would talk. Immediately, I felt like things were going to work out.”
As part of their youth coaching, Keegan worked with Amo on creating and achieving some life goals.
“Every time Keegan and I met, we’d go over the specific goals that I wanted to achieve. Over time, those achievements added up. I got my driver’s licence, got my son into the local kohanga reo, and completed both a budgeting course and a parenting course. I also did a business course. That felt like a real achievement. It wasn’t through Visionwest, but the Youth Coaches gave me the confidence to go for it and do well in it.
Amo feels more settled now. She feels like she’s a good mum and takes pride in how well her son is doing. She got plans for the future and is even thinking about revitalising her business.