My First Centre Cohort As Reintegration Officer
By Shakila Manoharshi
Blog in Sinhala as Originally Written
Blog Translated to English
Please note that the below translation keeps the essence of Shakila’s blog but sadly loses some of the poetry from its original Sinhala form.
They stepped into our Centre like dandelions traveling in an unfamiliar gust of wind. They are used to going where they are taken — no questions asked.
As a part of Batch 10, eight young girls entering adulthood arrived at our Centre. With the weight of their own trauma, and the many fears of their future, they began a new journey at the Emerge Centre for Reintegration. Many of our girls came with little items that were symbolic of their life while in institutional care — may it be a leaf gifted by a friend in a shelter or a rubber band that they snuck into their dorm. This speaks to the human quality of yearning for stability, even when all they often had was uncertainty and isolation.
During the first few days of our new participants' arrival, they were quiet, observant, and noticeably anticipating no difference in how they had been treated in the past. As days turned into weeks, weeks into months, we saw each programme participant come out of their shell. They were no longer quiet, no longer afraid. As their new community embraced them with respect and dignity, their confidence blossomed. With the support of their programme trainers, they were able to see what life could be like… all the possibilities that were waiting for them. With our Centre’s mental health approach, we saw participants redefining their own notions of mental health, and understanding how it could nourish their healing journey. At the Centre, only now were they learning about life and the practicalities of living, and they were experiencing life itself with a safety that allowed them to enjoy it, freely. In that freedom, we saw them thrive in their friendships with each other and relationships with the team.
I saw them bravely take on this new life chapter even with shadows of their past looming over their shoulders. At each one's pace, we saw our girls approach workshops with curiosity, open mindedness, and drive. There were tough days too — when interpersonal relationships struggled, when their past trauma spilled over, or where they had trouble managing their anger. But each time, we saw them accept empathy, action, and kindness to make sure they moved through these emotions to get to the other side.
Three months of their experiential learning at the Emerge Centre came to an end, and our team and community witnessed their graduation. There was so much to celebrate for each young woman. They had tackled a world of uncertainty and found a power within themselves that most of them did not imagine they had. The future was still uncertain; but, now they had skills, knowledge, and confidence to take on the world. They had new dreams, new goals, and the opportunity to live a life on their own terms.
Each young girl was prepared to take her own journey. After graduation, they all found jobs within the trusted employee pool that Emerge had created over the years. As their first contact at Emerge, I have the privilege of watching them embrace independence - from managing their finances and preparing meals to creating safe homes of their own. They call to let me know when they are doing well, when they need support, and when they need guidance. They know Emerge is there for them.
