This story originally appeared in our September 18, 2024 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFirst of all, what does it actually mean to be a student experiencing financial hardship? While every school is going to have its own definition of what qualifies you for financial aid, financial hardship itself (divorced from being a student) is something that can be hard to pin down. Each person is going to have their own, personal line in the sand. On the spectrum of feeling totally worry-free about monthly bills and daily costs to being completely crushed by panic and debt where it feels like a fire you\u2019re constantly fighting, when does the pressure prompt you to find help?<\/p>\n
Nowadays, I\u2019m pretty quick to seek out the resources available to me as soon as a bill starts to eat into my grocery budget, but I used to be a lot more stubborn. In 2019, I got hit with a surprise bill due to a mixup in the withdrawal of my rent and found myself holding an eviction notice saying that unless I could pay two months of rent at once, I had to be out in 30 days. With no family to move back in with, it took everything I had to pay it off, and I had nothing left for anything else\u2014food, phone, medication, nothing. So many of us are one mistake or disaster away from the same situation, but I had been unwilling to admit to myself that I needed a backup plan. There are a few reasons for that.<\/p>\n
I found myself thinking a lot about a guy I had known during an earlier attempt at a degree, at a different school. I had still been living with my parents, and as such I had a little more money I could spend. He, on the other hand, was struggling with basics and I knew it. We were at a pub and I asked if I could buy him some food, but his reaction was one I\u2019ll never forget. He looked pained, and he rejected my offer with a certain amount of venom. Not understanding, I pushed and told him it really wasn\u2019t a problem at all. He threatened to leave. I couldn\u2019t understand then what offence he might have taken.<\/p>\n
As I faced down my own crisis I didn\u2019t quite agree with the stance he took, but I finally understood where the hurt came from.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an overused joke that those of us who are struggling are just \u201ctemporarily embarrassed millionaires,\u201d but the joke comes from a place of shame. In a world where money is equal to power, capability, and value in the eyes of others, why would we want to admit to lacking it? I was burning up with humiliation when I started telling my friends about my financial state, sure that they would think me incompetent, irresponsible, or stupid. I wasn\u2019t even reaching out for help, just declining invitations to go out and wanting to assure them they had done nothing wrong when I said \u201cno\u201d for the fourth time. What do you say when the student discount rate is still too high?<\/p>\n
Their response, when I eventually fessed up, shocked me.<\/p>\n
My friends rallied. While it took some time for me to let them pay my way for meals or event tickets, their support came in 100 small ways I couldn\u2019t have dreamed up, like offering me food that they had too much of from their kitchens, giving me gift cards that had been gathering dust, and passing on news to me when they heard about free classes or financial-assistance programs. The community I felt was almost overwhelming.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In all honesty, I had been hesitant to reach out for help for more reasons than my shame. It was in part because during the summer prior I had suffered a severe mental-health break, and many of my friends had made themselves scarce. Having spent a few years mulling over how to explain the difference in support for my crises, I think the answer lies in the actionability of the support. My mental health on its own presented problems which weren\u2019t materially solvable, and in turn many of my friends felt powerless to respond. How could they know what actions they could take to be there for me when the monster I was facing down lacked a clear edge on its influence? Here, my obstacles were clearly visible: food, rent, medication, and entertainment, and with that came direction on how they could show up. The presence of community support, in turn, eased the burden of my depression.<\/p>\n
Here we find the ways that shame around finances and shame around mental health meet. This is the crossroads where asking for help in a crisis intersects with a multitude of pressures that can\u2019t help but run into each other; in turn, all struggles experience some relief when we help each other with any of them. We don\u2019t know how to help each other with everything, but by leaning into the interconnectedness of these problems we are able to feel empowered by what we can help each other with.<\/p>\n
This is the framework of the world I had to adopt to survive, and it has carried me far. Now, having found some level ground again, I try to use this framework to be aware of my communities. I don\u2019t have an exact answer for how we get out of this mess of a world we\u2019re in, and I don\u2019t know how each individual can solve the myriad problems that make bigger problems in their lives. But I do know one thing: the only way through is together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
It took me a while to figure out everything available to me when I needed it, so here are a few suggestions to get you started:<\/p>\n
Community centres are your friends<\/b><\/p>\n
No matter what neighbourhood you\u2019re in, you\u2019ll find some sort of community centre. This could be somewhere with a gymnasium and a pool, open to the general public, but there are also places of worship, women\u2019s centres, youth centres, neighbourhood houses, and culture centres. All of these places exist because it\u2019s a recognizable necessity for humans to have a place where they can come together and hang out.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling at all, community centres are the first place you should go, because (as the name implies) they know what\u2019s happening and available within the community. We\u2019re extremely used to spaces where you need to continually pay to be there: coffee shops, movie theatres, malls, even a lot of spaces on the internet are pay-to-play. Community centres, in their many forms, exist to sustain the community, and that includes you.<\/p>\n
From just going up and asking at a variety of different centres, I\u2019ve gotten free toiletries like toothpaste, a free winter coat, and vouchers to thrift shops. I\u2019ve also been granted access to the free program to use their amenities and been made aware of free events, workshops, community meals, and lectures.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re broke, its easy to want to wallow inside alone in shame. Believe me, I\u2019ve done it. But I\u2019ll tell you now, it\u2019s not a great idea for your mental health or your sense of pride. The power of community centres is that they create connections, and you are worthy of those connections just by wanting to be in the community in the first place.<\/p>\n
Buy-nothing groups<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u00a0<\/span>love buy-nothing groups. As a global initiative based on the understanding that we have enough stuff to go around, these Facebook groups are extremely regional and encourage connection with your neighbours. The idea is that if you have something you don\u2019t need, you simply offer it up for free, with the understanding that if you need something in turn you can ask for it, and if someone has it to share they\u2019ll give it to you for free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis isn\u2019t just limited to things and stuff, though. At one point I was going to pick up a really nice immersion blender someone had offered me, but I missed the pickup because I suddenly had to go to the emergency room. After explaining myself, the woman not only brought me the blender but put together a care package of snacks with a fresh salad to help lift my spirits. Another time, someone shared fresh rosemary from their garden when they got too much, and I\u2019ve even heard of people offering up rides to doctors\u2019 appointments, used wedding dresses, and language exchange lessons for free. This isn\u2019t the magic of this particular group, it\u2019s the magic of treating each other like neighbours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe\u2019ve really been sold the idea that the only way to solve problems is by buying things, but something I love about this model is that it shows the human kindness that can be found when we stop basing every interaction around a monetary exchange.<\/p>\n
Camosun College Student Society<\/b><\/p>\n
The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) is an incredible place to find all sorts of connections, not the least of which is free entertainment. With lots of easy events to access, being a student makes it a lot easier to have a fun night out without breaking the bank. While I could go on and on about everything they have to offer, the easiest way is to connect with them yourself and ask. Tell them about some of your needs or your interests, and I can guarantee they\u2019ll have something that can lighten the load.<\/p>\n
One thing to note in particular is their emergency fund. If you\u2019re suddenly hit with hard times during your semester, for whatever reason, you should investigate this fund, where you can potentially get some financial help to keep you afloat. Check out camosunstudent.org for more info on the CCSS.<\/p>\n
Instructors and Camosun staff<\/b><\/p>\n
While the Student Society isn\u2019t technically part of the school itself, Camosun has a lot of its own structures that are hugely helpful to students. They\u2019re easy to find, but many people miss them as things get drowned out by the main event of the education we\u2019re here for. I mean, you\u2019ve probably noticed a few of them since you\u2019re stopping to read the student newspaper, so good on you for keeping your finger on the pulse, but there\u2019s another group of people who know this school better than anyone: teachers and staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOne-on-one conversations with the people supporting your education is one of the greatest things that a post-secondary school can give you. We are here overtly asking for their knowledge on a variety of topics which means, implicitly, that we trust they have some ability to know what they\u2019re talking about. Not every teacher or staff member is going to be knowledgeable about everything you could possibly find and put to use at Camosun, but I guarantee they\u2019ll know something that could help.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also worthwhile to let your teachers know, ahead of time, when you\u2019re facing a crisis in your personal life. I can\u2019t promise they\u2019ll all be sympathetic, but they can\u2019t accommodate for what they don\u2019t know about, and, hey, I\u2019ve had a few teachers point me in the right direction to find paid opportunities in my field. It\u2019s always worth a shot.<\/p>\n
Foundry and other community groups<\/b><\/p>\n
If you\u2019re under the age of 25, the resources available to you are triple. I strongly encourage you to use this as much as you can. When you\u2019re in search of youth resources, the best place to go is Foundry.<\/p>\n
Foundry is an incredible collection of resources and can be found across BC. From clinics to support groups to individual counselling and youth workers who can connect you to all sorts of special assistance, this is one of the best organizations I can imagine for support. If you\u2019re struggling with anything you can think of, and you\u2019re 25 or younger, this is the place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI used Foundry for four years until I aged out, and I owe it so much. Spending so much of my life as an at-risk youth, I often felt that I was simply a problem to be solved or a box to be checked for the people who were assigned to help me. The reason I speak so highly of this organization is not because one person went above and beyond for me, but rather because no matter who was working with me, the system itself was designed to make me feel heard. I cannot recommend them enough.<\/p>\n
Food banks<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u00a0<\/span>remember, with a shocking amount of clarity, the first time I used a food bank. It was a Wednesday morning (the regular time for weekly food pick-up) in late September 2019, and there was a nip in the air. I knew that when I went, I didn\u2019t want to look foolish, or reckless. I could imagine the volunteers analyzing me, either deciding I was some pitiful slob who couldn\u2019t be responsible with their finances or, the opposite, that I wasn\u2019t deserving enough and they\u2019d turn me away. I put a great deal of care into how I dressed. I wanted to look clean, and like I was someone who could handle themselves. I picked a red sweater my grandma gave me and braced myself for judgment and, simultaneously, for a crowd of stereotypes I had been so scared of being cast as.<\/p>\nWhat I found instead was a group of people who looked an awful lot like me. Not dressed in anything new or flashy, but with obvious care in how they arrived\u2014the way you\u2019d try to look running any errand. Most were women, most were older than me, and many were so excited to see each other. What shocked me the most was the number of them who were excited to see me. I was so afraid being in this new space, feeling both desperate and like an imposter\u2014and they knew how I felt. They offered to show me around and showed me where in the space I could find what I was looking for, even pulling up a seat for me when they finished the errand with a cup of free soup. The volunteers didn\u2019t ask any questions or demand any paperwork, they just got me signed up and helped me inside. In the weeks that followed, the people I had talked with welcomed me back with a smile. No questions asked, and community offered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMy main experience with a food bank is from North Vancouver; every neighbourhood will have a different culture and different ways of distributing food. My introduction was with a system where you pick up food once a week, but I know the CCSS offers an ongoing food bank where you pick up a few items at a time.<\/p>\n
What I learned that Wednesday morning, though, was that where people come together in need, there is the opportunity for kindness and understanding.<\/p>\n
A safety net is not a single line\u2014it\u2019s a thousand points of connection. We can\u2019t help that crisis will come into our lives, especially as we face the rising cost of living and stagnant wages, and in the background, the world grows more volatile every year. What we can control is how we face it, and I, for one, would rather face it together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Everything sucks right now. I don\u2019t say this to be a pessimist\u2014I say this because it\u2019s the elephant in the room. Globally, we are witnessing once-in-a-lifetime horror after once-in-a-lifetime horror; locally, climate stresses and the cost of living are creating an environment where we\u2019re so run down we barely have time to react. I don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,317],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-september-18-2024"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25761,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25760\/revisions\/25761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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