Saving CYTO

Jake Bentley-Ross
Guest

/ #43 DON'T CLOSE DOWN CYTO. PLEASE.

2011-03-14 01:25

Without CYTO, i could promise you i would never have taken drama for A-Level, write my own music and perform to people in drama and/or music gigs. CYTO is such an exceptional place for people to develop skills in creative arts and a good place for advice, friends, confidence building, and a place to experience entertainment from the youths in Croydon and in London.

CYTO gave me the opportunity to become who i really wanted to be. I had no idea what i wanted to do with my life. I just lived life, doing stuff which i thought i loved (like history and french (yuck)) and never really opened myself to new opportunities. CYTO enabled me to see into the life of performing arts and now i'm taking Drama, and performing gigs. I would never be able to do that.

I also had the chance to become aware of my sexuality. Even though through my life i knew i was gay and even having lesbian parents in my family, i still thought that people would be homophobic or treat me differently. But CYTO was a wish come true to help me come out and be who i am. The other school i was at was so homophobic and they even bullied me because of my parents and not even for the fact that i am myself a homosexual. But CYTO was a foot step for me to come out and be proud of who i am. I would be in the closet for many years if i didn't go to CYTO.

It even ended my suicidal thoughts. From everyone and everything getting to me. The friends that betrayed me, the homophobia and homoseuality that was me, the life i didn't want: all helped me to kill myself. But, CYTO helped me to see that everything i am is normal and that i can love myself and not give a shit (sorry for the language) about all the other people that made my life horrible.

As you can see, closing down the place is a BAD CHOICE. There are many other ways to save money and to also keep others open. Like maybe having tax or something (not really expensive but just maybe £3 extra or something).

If you close down CYTO, you could be giving people less opportunity to live life, metaphorically and literally. Take it from all these people to keep CYTO open. Not just for the people running CYTO, not for the parents watching their sons and daughters perform, but for me and the rest of the members attending CYTO and fufilling our dreams. Please. For us.