1000 VOICES-VOCES-VOIX

INTRODUCTION

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This book was born the day I found myself in a family situation I had never possibly expected, not in my scariest nightmares. It was so hard and overwhelming that I had to choose between either resist, move forward and begin a journey towards resilience and happiness or plummet into depression and give up.

I chose to move forward.

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But I didn’t know what to do. I decided to reach out for help. I started to talk with my closest friends, to the closest people I knew. I began a journey that taught me many amazing lessons I would like to share with you in this book. It was extremely sad to get to know that some of the people I loved so much had gone through so much suffering and abuse. But opening up, going to talk about my experience was healing not only for me but it helped others heal as well. The more I talked, the less alone I felt, the less anger, the less sadness I felt.

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I was especially shocked to see that girls who were incredibly beautiful, strong of character, seemingly careless, were the ones who had suffered the most. Just for being girls! Those girls laughed during the breaks as if sorrow had never touched them; they were the ones who faced the harshest challenges and, yet, they were amazingly dignified and strong. They had a fierce determination to thrive and showed profound compassion towards others.

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Talking about our experiences was the first step to healing for me but also for everybody involved. We shared hidden tears but also solutions that began to appear timidly at first, like fireflies, as if hope were playing hide and seek. But later, put together, those fireflies became a bonfire that warmed us all; soon, that bonfire turned into a bright light strong enough to chase all darkness away.

I felt that the way to change from victim to victor was possible only by taking the first step: breaking our silence more publicly. I needed to find some sort of voice for myself and for so many kids who don’t have it, those kids silenced by oppression, by their families living through domestic violence, by their bad friends, by their abusive fathers, by bad judges, etc.

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The etymology of “infant” is “not able to speak.” This may be true for toddlers but children and teenagers should have a voice; we should be able to speak about our feelings, opinions and dreams but also about our wounds, the abuse we suffered. So I decided to write this book.

In A THOUSAND VOICES, I will share the stories my friends told me during school breaks, chatting on the phone, at school or when a teacher was missing one class even when coming back home together. Naturally, names and most circumstances have been changed so as to protect my friends’ privacy and confidentiality. Every story is told in first person (even if most of these anecdotes did not actually happen to me). The images are also the product of a collective effort: Pixabay, where thousands of photographers share their art on a non-profit basis. BIG THANK YOU!

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I hope this book can help other kids/teens who are going through difficult times.

You can read it alone, with your friends, in a peer group, in a self-help group or even in a group facilitated by a teacher at school or counselor. Each story can be read separately and, if in a group, you might want to follow the suggestions included before the accounts. 

I have hope in myself, in my family, in this world and in you to open your eyes and ears, to stop turning your head and ignore what is going on with us. Hundreds of generations of kids have suffered; my generation is suffering too but we can have a voice, we can heal together. Together, we can listen to one another, support one another and make a change.