Adolescence

I am Abianda’s Admin and Operations Intern. As a young woman it was hard to watch the Netflix Adolescence series - I have heard lots of different opinions on the show and why the young boy did what he did and I wanted to share my thoughts as a young person after watching it. 

I think the most important takeaway for me was society needs to and I hope it will change for the better - social media is part of the problem but the biggest problem is lack of community. We all need community as that is what helps us grow, mature and hopefully be the best version of ourselves. I feel that a good community teaches us, uplifts us, and helps us to see the real beauty of this world.

We young people need to feel supported and guided instead of being put down and being told we need to change, that we are the problem.

All policies and systems around us should be supporting and rehabilitating young people instead of being stigmatised and blamed for our actions. Schools, hospitals and prisons should be there to help us, heal us. Using trauma informed and solution focused therapy to support a person in need.

I believe that all systems, e.g., hospitals, police, social workers, need to change in order for stereotypes and stigmas to be forgotten so we can all thrive and elevate to be our best selves. 

I believe that the Government should speak with people affected by violence from men/young boys, namely young people, as well as charities and experts so that they really understand the problems that they are facing. At Abianda, we believe that young women are experts on their own lives and that people affected by a problem are best placed to find the solutions.

While Adolescence dives into real life issues affecting young people today, I’m optimistic about the change that discussions around this topic could bring. As a result of the series, The Children's Society charity was invited to 10 Downing Street to contribute to a conversation about what young people are really facing today and what we as professionals can do to help.

They said: “Male violence against women and girls was a strong theme during the discussion, with commitment shared to reduce and prevent this. For some, Adolescence served as a wake-up call—a powerful demonstration of how storytelling can drive action.”

Adolescence points towards deep-rooted issues affecting young people around male violence towards women which I believe is wrong. That can be seen in any circumstance, and this harm could come from a cousin, boyfriend or friend, but also people not known to them, for example strangers online or being catcalled in the street.

At Abianda, our mission is to support young women harmed by criminal exploitation and violence to develop independence and agency. We know that young women affected by criminal exploitation can experience abusive, coercive or controlling relationships. We run sessions (both one-to-one and in groups) where young women explore themes of healthy relationships, boundaries and values. Increasing young women’s critical consciousness around these issues will lead to their increase in independence and agency. Alongside this work, our training with national and local services aims to challenge and change systemic approaches - systems must shift their beliefs to support the young women who need it. 

To achieve Abianda's vision where young women and girls are free from oppression and harm caused by criminal exploitation and violence, Abianda has embedded young women into the heart of our organisation, through our Internship (like me!) and Young Women’s Advisory Group. 

This is Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model which shows us all elements of a young person’s life and how it may affect them if the system does not work together as one to support the young person. If the young man’s system worked together instead of apart could it have meant a different outcome? Adolescence shows us that when systems do not work together development does not work in a healthy and productive way. 

Blog by: Abianda's Admin and Operations Intern