WHY choose the road everyone goes?

WHY choose to fit in?

WHEN all it takes is to trust and talk.

Overall, life is your creation, so speak out and you’ll be HEARD!

By W.S., C.M. and C.M.

I used to feel like I was being judged by my weight or size. But I’m starting to like myself even more, and come out of my bubble. Which is awesome for me. Now I do wish I had a boyfriend sometimes when my friends are around theirs and stuff. But my last boyfriend dumped me because him and my friend got into a fight. And the next day he wanted me to chose between him or them and well I tried to chose both, but that didn’t work. So I thought my friends are worth more to me than a weird boyfriend who most of my friends didn’t like anyways.

By Sarah (who’s glad to show her true feelings!)

When you support a friend facing discrimination, we call it being an ally. There are a number of things that you can do:

• You can stand up for them if you feel safe doing so/
• You can tell a guidance counsellor or teacher about it, or go with your friend to talk to someone.
• Look at your own behaviours and attitudes and don’t laugh or tell offensive jokes.
• You can hangout with your friend and do things that you both enjoy.
• You could even educate others and create awareness events or posters in your school and community.
• You can ask them what you can do to help fight discrimination!

There are many ways you can support someone living with HIV. One of the simplest ways is to be non-judgemental. If someone feels like they are going to be judged by someone for being HIV positive, then they aren’t going to turn to that person for support. Treat them like you would treat any friend; do things that you enjoy together, talk, hangout, etc. Remember that it is totally ok to be friends, date, hangout or play sports with someone who has HIV. It’s also important to respect their privacy. People don’t have to give out any details or information about their health if they don’t want to.  For more info on HIV and AIDS, feel free to call the AIDS and STI info line at 1-800-782-2437.

Being friends with someone while they are in an abusive relationship can be very difficult, but it’s so important that they have someone to turn to. Your friend is very lucky to have a friend like you. There are a few things you can do to help your friend.

We recommend trying to spend time with your friend doing activities that make both of you feel good.  Try to be a good listener. You could tell them that you think what is happening to them is unfair, and start a conversation about what a healthy relationship looks like.

Don’t criticize them, they don’t need to feel judged. If you try to force them to break up with their partner, they might feel powerless. Help your friend, encourage them to get counselling.  This can help them sort out what they are going through and figure out a plan to keep themselves safe and healthy. You could go with them to counselling, or you could go yourself, because you might need your own support. It can be difficult to see a friend experiencing abuse.

Here are some places that can help:

• The Women’s Health Clinic (3^rd floor – 419 Graham Avenue) has drop-in teen counselling for females on Thursday nights from 3 – 8, or you can phone 947-1517 in Winnipeg to make an appointment.
• Klinic at 545 Broadway has free counselling available for both males and females, Monday-Wednesday 12-7 pm and Friday and Saturday 12-4 pm, or phone 784-4067 to make an appointment.
• Females can also call the Osborne House shelter at 1-877-977-0007.
• Call the Klinic Crisis Line at 1-888-322-3019 or 786-8686 for more information or if you just need to talk.

If you feel that your friend’s safety is at risk or they are at risk of harming themselves it is important that you tell a teacher, guidance counsellor or parent that you trust or call the police.

If you are being touched in a way that makes you uncomfortable or scared, then you have every right to ask them to stop. They should not touch you without getting your permission first. You could also talk to someone you trust about the situation (another friend, family member, teacher or a guidance counsellor). Trust your feelings about the situation, our friends should respect our boundaries.