POWERED UP - AN INSIGHT BY THE IN GROUP
Marysia Szlenkier speaks to Alex Voskou.
LIFEbeat alumni Marysia Szlenkier was 15 when she first attended the charity’s signature summer camp. Very soon, her life started to change in ways she never could have imagined.
Now 22 and still very much a part of LIFEbeat’s network, Marysia talks to us about creativity, self-discovery and slam poetry (which was new to us too!)
saying for the last year. I was a bit timid and anxious on how to get through the first day. I was trying not to be overwhelmed by the insane energy. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I remember settling in that evening and thinking I’d never been in such a positive environment before. Then I felt so much more comfortable about being there.”
How did your LIFEbeat journey begin?
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“My best friend actually went to a camp and absolutely had the time of her life,” begins Marysia. “When she came back, the first thing she said was, ’You’re coming with me next year!’ So I was drawn into LIFEbeat that way and have never looked back since,” she explains.
How has working with LIFEbeat helped you feel empowered?
“It’s had such a massive impact on my life. When I was 15, I was experiencing very severe anxiety and depression. Being welcomed into an environment where it was okay to be feeling those things and receiving the support I had lacked for my entire life really helped.” “With so many different workshops available, I had a choice for the first time – which you don’t get at school. I was able to perform slam poetry for the first time in front of an incredible crowd who resonated with what I was saying. I’d managed to be a voice for so many people who maybe didn’t have words for what they were feeling.”
Did you feel resistant at first?
“I was definitely resistant, more in the form of anxiety. I didn’t really know what to expect. I remember the exact moment when we arrived at LIFEbeat on the coach and saw all of the staff members dancing, singing and playing instruments. I really didn’t know what to think! It was such a shock to me like I was entering a new world. But when I looked over at my friend, who was immediately joining in before we even got off the coach, I started to understand what she’d been
CREDIT - PEXELS
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