Sitting in the lounge of his apartment in one of central Manchester's more prestigious mill developments, Carl Hillier could be just another of the city's army of smart young professionals.
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But it so nearly did not work out like this for the 24-year-old,
whose experience as a teenage runaway has made him a passionate
advocate for young people with an eye on entering politics so that
he can fight on their behalf.
Seven years ago, months of skirmishes with his mother at their
home in Weymouth, Dorset, came to a head.
"Me and my mum were arguing," he recalls. "It was a case of I
didn't know what to do with my life ... I walked out."
It seems incredible that the disciplined adult chatting about
youth justice, and his work helping 14- to 16-year-olds back into
education and training, was ever angry and directionless. Yet it is
a story all too common.
The first feelings after he ran away were positive. "You are
just glad to be out of the argument, you think 'Yes, I can do
this'." But hours of walking up and down the seafront on a cold
night meant reality as well as the cold soon began to bite. He had
reached rock bottom. At 1.30 am, he rang a helpline. But he was
told social services were closed until Monday morning. Even then
the nearest help was 30 miles away in Poole. "The advice was to
stay safe or go home. So I just walked the streets all night," he
says. The sensation that there was no one to help still lives with
him. Two days later, after a couple of nights of sleeping on a
friend's floor, he was put in touch with the Children's Society's
Waves project in Weymouth. The Children's Society is one of three
charities being supported by the Independent's Christmas
Appeal.
"They were about to close but they said 'Come in and sit down'.
We must have been there for three or four hours," he says. "On the
outside I appeared confident. But as soon as someone asks how you
are, you fall to bits."
Staff at Waves found him a bed and breakfast and then supported
accommodation, where he stayed for nearly a year and saved the
deposit for a flat. But help went beyond food parcels. "They
listen. That is the first thing. Even if it's the stupidest thing
in your own head they will listen to each question, understand and
relate to it. Once you have got it out of your system, they will
set you small goals and say: 'What do you want to do in the next
week or month?" he says.
The experience of fending for himself was daunting. "Going from
being with my mum who was doing everything for me, it scared the
crap out of me," he admits. He got a job, although cleaning out
toilets at 4am had its own challenges. "There were days when I
wanted to quit but I would go and see someone in the project and
they would tell me to think about my future."
He became a deputy bar manager, but still suffered doubts.
Unlike other youth services he was welcome at the Children's
Society even after he was 18. "There were times between 17 and 20
when I felt like going back to where I was. You still want to run
away and hide," Carl says.
Four years ago he took the plunge and relocated to Manchester to
work in financial services. Since then he has travelled to the
United States to speak on behalf of young people, addressing
audiences of British politicians. The political path is one he
would like to follow himself.
"The big dream is to help make changes in Parliament. One
hundred thousand runaways just isn't right. It is one every four or
five minutes and only 40 per cent are ever reported to the police,"
he says. Over the years Carl has witnessed his share of people
being helped: a 13-year-old runaway whose stepfather beat her up
and who got hooked on heroin; a child kidnapped on the streets by a
couple who fed him bleach; six-year-olds running away from home.
Seeing such people getting help inspired him. "You realise that if
they hadn't had that support they would more than likely be dead,"
he says.
The charities that we are supporting
Save the Children
Save the Children works in 120 countries, including the UK. It
saves children's lives, fights for their rights and help them
fulfil their potential. Save the Children's vital work reaches more
than eight million children each year – keeping them alive, getting
them into school and protecting them from harm.
www.savethechildren.org.uk
The Children's Society
The Children's Society provides crucial support to vulnerable
children and young people in England, including those who have run
away from home. Many have experienced neglect, isolation or abuse,
and all they want is a safe and happy home. Its project staff
provide essential support to desperate children who have nowhere
else to turn.
www.childrenssociety.org.uk
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity provides emotional and
practical support for families who have a child with a
life-threatening or terminal illness. For families living with a
child who is going to die, Rainbow Trust is the support they wished
they never had to turn to, but would struggle to cope without.
www.rainbowtrust.org.uk
At The Independent, we believe that these organisations can
make a big difference to changing many children's lives.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW.
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