Shattered Foundations: How Broken Homes Shape Young Lives

Many of the young people frowned up by society or who are deemed “troubled” have a past or story that haunts them. Many were raised in broken homes with limited access to resources. They may also have been victims of trauma, with no means of accessing the support needed at that stage of their lives. Some turned to drugs and gangs or engaged in acts of violence in search of fulfilment, pleasure or a sense of belonging.

Broken homes create wounded children, teenagers and youths, and without appropriate intervention, these youths grow into troubled adults who mirror what they saw in the home while growing up. It is not that they wanted to choose the path ahead of them, but many can attest that our homes and environment shape our beliefs, perspectives and values about life.

Growing up in difficult circumstances often leads young people to develop mental and emotional challenges. It’s tough for them to overcome ingrained habits and lifestyles, particularly when their friends and communities share similar struggles, reinforcing those patterns.

Young people brought up in broken homes are not looking for sympathy, rather, they are seeking understanding and encouragement. Like young people whose lives are stable and well established, disadvantaged youths have dreams and ambitions that have become buried and diminished over time due to hopelessness and their circumstances. All such young people need is assistance to help them see life from a different perspective. Their lives have been crippled for years based on their circumstances, and for many youths these are the biggest limitations to their growth and transformation. Many of them accept what is meted out to them by society and lose the desire to be better. They let their situations determine their future.

When homes are fragmented, the effects we see are far-reaching as they spread out into the wider community and then to our nations at different levels. Boys who witness violence at home and lack a father figure in their lives are more likely to grow into abusers or perpetrators of violence. Likewise, young ladies without a proper mother figure in their lives are more likely to mature into women who accept disrespect and sell themselves short of good ethical and moral standards. There is no doubt that parents, guardians and mentors play a crucial role in the lives of young people. Broken homes create damage to youths and adults. This is why it is urgent that counselling and mentorship programmes be established by educational and institutional bodies to better nurture, enrich, guide, and support youths who require help. Too many young people are carrying around the weights of their fractured past and abode.

The call for governmental bodies, NGOs and CSOs cannot be echoed and stressed any louder; it is time to act! Our young people need the succour. Their plea through their acts of distress and violence cannot be ignored much longer but must be eased and remedied with drastic interventions. For too long, we have treated youths with poor behaviour and conduct as outcasts. We must design the right institutional framework and infrastructure that can be of assistance, along with readily available tools and resources that at-risk youth can access. Additionally, we must formulate initiatives that break the stigma that youths at risk often face. We should create opportunities and pathways that can foster dialogue and open conversations for them to express themselves without being judged or feeling condemned.