Be a Voice for Others
We chat to Claire, an awesome young girl harnessing YouTube to help support others.
Tell us a little about yourself Claire...
I'm a fourteen year old girl who has been home-schooled my entire life. I was born in Cape Town, South Africa before shortly moving to New Zealand for two years. After that I moved to Australia for another two years and then straight back here to New Zealand.
I decided to start making videos to be able to help others and to be a voice. I felt like what I've been through and what I'm going through in life shouldn't be wasted, but instead shared for those who feel or have felt the same way.
“My main reason to make videos was to help as many people as I can. To be a voice to not only myself but others.”
We think it's really awesome that you're using your voice on YouTube to talk about self harm, what inspired you to talk about this?
I'm a strong believer in self love and so with my own personal struggle with self harm I always have thought that talking about it will not only help myself but also anyone out there who is struggling with the same things, or even for anyone who wants to know more about mental health.
I've known a few people who have self harmed which saddened me. I have also struggled with self harm myself which I try be open about on my channel. While I was trying to help my friends through self harm it took me a while to realise that to be a good friend in a situation like that, the best help I could give would be to get them professional help, tell their parents about it, or encourage them to tell there parents or someone close to them they can trust to get them professional help.
“I believe that we can not struggle with these things on our own. We need people to walk us through the journey and support us, encourage us, and hold us accountable.”
Above: Claire's YouTube Clip 'Stop Promoting Self Harm'
What would you say to a young woman who is thinking about self harm?
Self harming is only going to make things more difficult for yourself. If you are self harming or thinking about it, please stay strong and talk to your parents, a teacher at school or even better a professional if you can. Anyone you can trust.
Looking after yourself will help with the heartache but causing yourself more pain only causes more heartache.
What would you say to a young woman who has a friend or loved one who is currently self harming?
I understand how awful it is to watch someone you care about go through so much pain. You have to make sure they are going to get the right help to make it better. Your friend might not always tell someone if you ask them to.
Make sure they will get the help they need but look after yourself as well. If you can talk to your family, teacher, counselor or peers about your friends or loved ones problems and how you're trying to get them help, it may help yourself with the heartache you may feel.
What else is really important to you right now?
Being happy and making others happy. Staying strong and fighting for whats right. Standing up for the LGBT community or anyone who feels excluded and feel they're not accepted.
What have you got lined up next for your YouTube channel?
I want my channel is a place of safety for anyone to share their views or opinions even if I may disagree. I feel my channel to be the place for anyone to come and express themselves.
It's all very exciting to me but right now I'm going to focus on keeping my content interesting and enjoyable as well as giving out a message. I would love to use my channel to highlight what's relevant and open up discussion, as well as ask and answer some thought provoking questions.
Stay connected with what Claire is up to:
It can feel scary to reach out, but it's ok to ask for help. If you or someone you know is going through tough times and might need support, here are some awesome people who are here for you.
