Phoebe’s Post: A room for youngsters

Hi guys,

for all of you who know our story please excuse the fact that you may know some of this, for all the other visitors here is a short description of what happened to us, me and my brother Max:

Our parents died during an experiment. They got infected by a deadly virus that killed them within a couple of days. They were both scientists, biochemists. In our city, Virtus things are quite safe but just outside the city it is a kind of a jungle. The whole ecosystem is very unfriendly. Predators of all kinds fight to dominate against an unsettled natural equilibrium.

It was a really big hit for both of us. I immediately had to be responsible for Max who was almost 6 years old at that time and take care of my too. We were taken at the city orphanage where things were relatively OK, but still very difficult for us.

To cut a long story short (you can read about it in Book One of the Time Squatters series) we met Alex who was also unhappy and we escaped the orphanage. We lived in the streets for months till we found our place in the basement of the Ark, the Museum of the Old life as they call it, the largest museum in Virtus.

I know how it is to live in the streets. I know what it means to have to walk all day. To try to act normal and not raise any suspicions to everyone around you. To try to stay clean when you lack even a toilet, to search for food in garbage tins when people are not looking. I know how it is to try to keep up your spirit and not loose your dignity.

I must admit that we may have not managed, if it wasn’t for Alex. He did a lot for all of us, and found solutions when we thought that we were at the end of our rope.

So, I couldn’t but care for all people in need. For all the youngsters that for one reason or another are out there in the streets and do not have a place to stay. This is why I want to talk today about YMCA in London UK. http://www.roomsponsor.org.uk/

When a young person becomes homeless, he becomes lonely, isolated and vulnerable. Without our help they can easily become trapped in a life of poverty, exclusion, or worse. I’ve lived it, I know it, believe me when I say that it is horrible. Believe me when I say that it can happen to anyone.

Most of the time youngsters stay out of schools and education, training or employment, they end up with low self-esteem, poor health, and so on. That’s why myself and Max, also Alex in a way got so obsessed with science: because knowledge is almost forbidden to a homeless teenager. All the outcome of the work of hundreds of thousands of scientists worldwide and for all centuries is not available if you outside the educational system. Sometimes there are barriers even within it, but that’s another issue.

I admit I have a soft spot for youngsters in need. Obviously they are not the only ones in need. If you can support any organisation in any way it is a really good thing, and you should do it. I will talk about more such organisations in future posts. I want to end this post with a quote by the president of YMCA UK:

“I believe that we shouldn’t wait downstream to pull people out of the river, we must go upstream to make sure they don’t fall in.”

Stay out of trouble guys. Have hope. Life can be tough, but it is also the most wonderful gift we ever given to all of us. Don’t waste it.

Talk to you soon, Phoebe Enbell, a Time Squatter.

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