Stephanie (30)

“I try to make people’s life easier. But I like being a supportive actor; it makes me feel useful and needed. I like to spend the mornings at p:ear reading the paper and drinking tea. It’s a calming ritual to start the day.

I’m not very good at talking about myself on an intimate level, but I wanted to participate in this project as a personal experiment. I’ve always liked FREUD’s original title for “Civilization and its Discontent” (‘Das Unbehagen in der Kultur’) because I always felt slightly uncomfortable, slightly awkward moving through life. But those moment of awkwardness for me are like small pin pricks of consciousness: they remind me of the person I am and to be present in the moment.

p:ear is a constant pin prick to be awake, to be conscious, to engage with life and to witness the lives of these kids. Sometimes I feel like the most important thing we can offer is to listen and be a witness.”