So recently I've been preparing to move out of my parents house, and I've been seeking social assistance. At my appointment, my social worker asked me for references to people who know about my situation at home. I know probably nnone of you guys know me too well personally, or my home life, but I know ALL of you guys have been through similar situations. I'm not quite sure how many of you guys left the truth at a young age, but you guys still know what life as a JW is like. So I'm wondering if any of you guys will be willing to help me, and get in contact with my social worker. It'd really help a lot, and I would be extreamly grateful. Thanks
Need some help from you guys
by bobert 11 Replies latest jw experiences
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ducatijoe
Sorry... not all of us do! I worked hard from a young age as a JW. Started my own company and did very well. Do your parents beat you? Do the not feed you? oh.... they make you go to meetings? What a shame.
You may be better off staying in a free home until you have aquired skills to make it in this world.
If as an adult you still want to leave the JWS.. go for it. You will find a great and wonderful wourld out here.
However if you start out with the government supporting you.... not so sure of your outcome.
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villagegirl
How old are you ? Where do you live ? Canada or the USA ?
Have you graduated from high school ?
What is your grade point average? Financial assitance is available for students.
There is on campus housing. If you can make that transition;
from high school to university/college you will have freedom
and a place to live(dorms or shared housing) and money to live on
through work-study and financial aid. If your parents resist this idea
and try to prevent you or will not support you to go to school to
get a trade or some employable skills, or a university education,
and they lock your in your room, or abuse you, verbally, emotionally,
physically or sexually, then you have reason to involve child protection.
You are being abused spiritually, because the WT is a shame based
spiritually abusive society. But if you are in a tolerable, situation with
simple, deluded KH goers, who in other ways are fairly normal, then you
need to develop your own life strategy and plan around them.
Tell them you are so impressed with the WT's, JW org site you want to
study computer programming and animation at college and go to Bethel
someday when you acquire these skills. Hopefully they will break out in
happy grins and open their wallets and off you go.
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jgnat
Ducatijoe, I needed social services for a few years. I turned out fine.
It is difficult for a teenager determined to enmancipate himself, to convince workers how very toxic home shunning can be.
Man extreme example here in Canada, two teen girls were murdered by their father and brother, despite their pleas to the agencies set up to protect them.
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steve2
The internet is full of people who are not who they say they are. Besides, Social Services would not accept any kind of "reference" from anyone on the internet you have not met. It just sounds incredibly fishy.
There is a need for you to share with Social Services your exact home situation and the actual reasons you are planning to leave. You may be entitled to a fuller assesment - especially if all the people who could potentially offer a reference are within the religion and would withhold references because you have left.
There may well be provision for young adults such as yourself who come from backgrounds such as the Amish, Exclusive Brethren, Jehovah's Witnesses etc who have reputations for casting out their young. You do sound very vulnerable and I'm wondering why you have chosen now to think of leaving. It could be to your mid- to longer-term betterment to put off leaving until you have some sort of financial or support network in place in your home district.
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galaxie
Bobert ;..you have mentioned, social assistance and social worker.
Social workers in UK are usually assigned to specific situations, ie personal problems relating to self or family situations.
Perhaps you need to be more specific as to your need for help from those on this forum.
Do you for example need support to corroborate certain behaviour negative to you being unable to remain in your home, ie jw attitudes and religious discrimination which makes it impossible to remain at home?
Unfortunately if this is the case apart from sympathetic understanding empathy for your plight, it is probably those that would have first hand knowledge of your situation that would hold any sway with your social worker.
I wish you a positive outcome.
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LisaRose
I would use the search feature on JWN to search for similar cases of young people who had to move out due to their parents not accepting their choice of religion. It might help your case if you could show this is a pattern among Jehovah's Witnesses.
I think you need someone who knows you to write a letter. Do u have a neighbor, a friend's mom or an old teacher that you can use?
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Billy the Ex-Bethelite
Social services will likely need a relative, school counsellor, neighbors, someone really aware of details.
As bad as it is to endure a JW home, don't leave it to get stuck in yet another bad circumstance because you failed to come up with a good plan. Be sure you're not jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
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ducatijoe
I agree with Billy
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zeb
What a quote. "The wt is a shame based spiritually abusive society".
and i agree with all the above.