Advocating For Yourself (As a Teen)

Last summer, I went to an overnight summer camp. I was going to be eating out of a cafeteria along with hundreds of other kids for a week and I honestly went into that week expecting to have an allergic reaction at some point. That never happened, and it wasn’t luck — it was because I learned to advocate for myself. There were a few times when the people at the cafeteria tried to feed me something that wasn’t safe. They just simply didn’t understand. Every day I would go in before the others in my group and tell them what my allergy was so that they could prepare it in a non-contaminated part of the kitchen. One day, after explaining I needed the dairy-free option, the staff person handed me a plate with eggs, even with a visible sign that said, “Don’t give special diets eggs — they contain milk.” I explained to her that the eggs contained milk and I couldn’t have that. Exasperated she said, “Well you should have said milk! You said dairy.” I think this lady meant well, it just was a case of her not understanding what dairy was.

I have learned that when advocating for myself it is important to be specific. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what dairy or mammals are! Also, do not be afraid to be right. Just because somebody else is an adult does not mean they are right or know more about your allergy than you do. Unfortunately, blindly trusting someone and not double- and triple-checking things that you are eating can result in an allergic reaction. As much as I would love to assume that a random adult (or even an adult I know very well) is going to make sure I don’t eat anything that is not safe, it is often not true. So don’t be afraid to ask someone to remake your meal, check ingredients, or to leave all together if YOU do not think it is safe.