AYUDH PORTRAITS: ELYA VITRANT
Hi everybody, today we are discovering an AYUDHee who has been with AYUDH since 2022! She is 18 years old and is currently doing a Civic Service at La Ferme du Plessis (M.A. Center in France). She is going to share with us her journey and how AYUDH has helped her in her life.
Hi Elya, we are here today at La Ferme du Plessis. Can you tell us what brought you here?
Hi everyone, I am Elya. I met Amma when I was a kid, and now I would like to share with you my life path so far.
From a young age, I had a particular way of relating to school and education. When I was a little girl, around 3 or 4 years old, I couldn’t stand adults imposing rules that didn’t make sense to me. I was, of course, willing to accept rules when I could see they were beneficial for me and others, but not when I had to obey blindly and conform to something that seemed devoid of sense and benefits. This naturally led to conflicts with some of my teachers, which prompted me to take an alternative path for my education instead of attending public schools.
I studied at home with my parents, which was good for me to a certain extent, but it also prevented me from having normal social interactions with my peers. So, I decided to go back to public school for my junior school graduation. This wasn’t an easy task because I had health issues during those years and had to use a wheelchair, which didn’t help in forming good relationships with others. After some time, I decided to return to studying at home. I completed my junior school graduation online from home through the CNED (a public organization attached to the Ministry of Education that offers online training).
For high school, I wanted to learn circus arts, so I went to a specific high school in the Drôme region (South of France) that offered circus classes. I was there as a “student resident,” which means I stayed at the school full-time, even sharing a room with my classmates. This was a complete 180° change for me. I was relatively isolated at home, living in the countryside, close to the woods and nature, studying with my family. Now, I had to adapt to the opposite lifestyle. I went from a quiet and solitary way of living to a life filled with many events and interactions, both personal and emotional.
Unfortunately, I had to face bullying and mistreatment from my classmates, including my roommates, which made the school an unsafe place for me. So, I decided to stop my studies after my first year of high school. For a while, I gave circus classes to children. It was a beautiful experience, but it is not what I want to do with my life. I heard about the Civic Service from AYUDH last year; many people told me there was an opportunity to do this Civic Service. So, I decided to participate now that I am the right age for it and that it aligns perfectly with my life.
So, what are you learning here so far?
At La Ferme du Plessis, people accept me in my uniqueness. In general, the AYUDH community and the Civic Service have helped me become more self-confident. The community of people here recognized my qualities, which made them clearer to me and increased my self-confidence. As I have become more self-confident, I am better able to truly listen to others and be kind. This has allowed me to change how I relate to others, approaching them with more presence and kindness.
Additionally, going to the M.A. Center gives me time to reflect on what I want to do with my life. It also provides me with direction.
I am now here at La Ferme du Plessis because I know it’s a safe place where people share the same values and objectives in life. It is a place where I can gradually learn to live in a community and grow in responsibilities.
To me, it is beautiful to be here. Since I was unschooled for most of my life, I missed the socialization period where I could learn to create events to connect with others. Here, I have the opportunity to do this. The people coming here are so diverse, and the range of learning is huge!
The M.A. Center in France is a place where everybody is welcome. We don’t choose whom we are going to meet, but we accept everybody as they are. I am trying not to be judgmental and to welcome and accept everybody with love. I really work on welcoming everyone.
There is a lot happening here. Sometimes we are only 5 people in the whole center, and sometimes a group of 150 people comes to participate in an event, a weekend, or a training. It is a big change of atmosphere, so I am trying to find my balance between having a lot of people around and being almost on my own.
What would you like to say to other AYUDHees?
Accept your differences! It is okay to have an atypical life path if you feel like it. It is important to trust yourself and not be afraid of being alone or not fitting into a group. The best thing is to follow your own path.
