My Choice… A Young Person’s Perspective

Growing up can be tough.

Trying to find their way in the world, while also going through all the changes puberty has to offer, can be a real challenge. Add on the pressure of exams, choices about subjects at school, college and work… throughout teenage and young adult years they have so many important decisions to make.

Imagine all of this, while also having a learning disability. There are a whole new set of challenges they must face, and we don’t often allow them to take their own decisions at each step of the way.

“All I want is to be able to decide what I want in my lunch box for school, but my parents never ask me what I want.”

“Next year, they want me to move schools, but they’ve never asked me if that’s what I want.”

“They always talk to me about ‘when I’m living at home with them’ when my siblings have moved out, but I don’t want that. I want to live away from home just like my siblings, I want to make new friends, and I want to have a job. But they never ask me!”

Enabling our young people to thrive in later life, we need to foster a sense of autonomy in them. Where possible, we need to involve them in open and honest conversations about decisions, either to give them all the information so they can make an informed decision, or to discuss why a decision might be out of their hands.

Giving them the tools to be active decision makers in their lives means that they can do what their siblings and peers do – go out into the world and make decisions for themselves, and lead the lives they want. This might look different to how their siblings live, or how us as parents imagined it to be, but they have just as much right to lead their lives how they want as anyone else.

I know that I want to move out one day, but I don’t know how to say it!

It’s not just about initiating the conversations, it’s also about giving young people the tools to advocate for themselves, make decisions, and actively give consent to changes happening in their lives.

Our new series in Learning for Life is just what’s needed. ‘Consent & Decision Making’ brings together consent in it’s broadest context, understanding of rights and decisions, and discussions around mental capacity, to explain in an accessible way to our young people what their input in their own lives should and can be. And, as always, this series is skills-based: we will be giving them the skills they need to be advocates, decision-makers, and change-makers in their own lives. Alongside the rest of the Learning for Life project, this will enable them to grow up and take control.

This teaching goes beyond what we see in schools. It goes beyond what so many of us think we need. But it’s a need we’ve seen it time and time again. It’s time to give that boost into adulthood our community needs. Sadly, we can’t make this happen without you. We’re asking for you to contribute to the creation of this new series, so that we can make it worthwhile and impactful. As a charity, it simply isn’t possible to continue creating content like we have done as fundraising becomes increasingly challenging. Supporting us means empowering your young person to grow up independently and safely.