“Growing home”- what Youth Services mean to Camden Giving trustee, Hafsa Mohamed

Growing up is a funny thing. You’re expected to stand tall meanwhile you’re going through so many changes that you have to adjust to, making you feel like you’ve lost your place in the world. You no longer understand yourself or the world around you because it’s moving like a bullet train and you’re still standing at the platform. That’s why youth services are important. It gives you a place in the world. An understanding of the world again.

A voice. A home. The things you lose along the way of growing up. 

You might think that home is a place, but it’s really a feeling. A safe space to grow without the weight of worry and the pressure of making mistakes. A place to talk to someone, maybe someone going through what you’re going through. Something to look forward to. I didn’t get that when I was younger. I joined Camden Giving wanting to give back to my own community but really it’s giving me the chance to get what I never had vicariously through everyone else. 

Being a trustee means you hold the responsibility to help govern and support the direction of the charity. It’s given me the power to help make meaningful decisions, like one of the Guardians of the Galaxy except for a charity.

And just like they say, it really does feel like the best place to start making a change is at home.

Hafsa Mohamed, Camden Giving Trustee