…they were at a breaking point

When her parents reached out to us, they were at a breaking point. Their 16-year-old daughter was slipping away. Quietly drowning in depression, shutting them out, sometimes lashing out, and disappearing for hours into the virtual world and social media. They didn’t recognize her anymore. They were scared, lost, and didn’t know how to help.

So, they called us for support, and she came in. What happened next was extraordinary.

She didn't know how to speak it

She connected very quickly with one of our youth counsellors, and in her very first session with them, she opened up. With courage that still gives us chills, she shared something she had carried alone for years: She had been sexually assaulted when she was just 13, by a 15-year-old boy who was modelling what he had seen in pornography filled with violence.

The pain, the silence, the confusion—it had been building inside her ever since. She didn’t know how to speak it. Until someone created space for her to feel safe.

No longer alone in the dark

Since then, we’ve walked alongside her and her family. She’s working closely with our youth counsellor, and our parent coach supports her parents. Together, they’re learning how to heal, not just as individuals, but as a family. And now, three months into care, something amazing is happening. You can see it in her face – relief, light, a softening that wasn’t there before. She’s no longer alone in the dark.

This is what happens when we meet pain with compassion. When we hold space for the hard truths. When families are given the tools to heal together. It’s powerful. It’s sacred.

And it’s exactly why we’re here.