Last Feb 20th, the youth held their first virtual HH meeting of the year. They started off with speed fellowship. Everyone was randomly assigned to a group and they all shared their answers to some fun questions like, “What is your favorite movie?” The purpose of the activity was to get to know each other. It was fun and it definitely lightened up the mood–mission accomplished!
Then they moved on to more serious and personal questions like:
How are you coping with the current situation? How is remote school affecting you? How’s your spiritual life since the quarantine? Everyone wrote their individual responses on Padlet (a web app that lets users post notes on a digital wall). They posted their responses anonymously. Out of respect for our Youth and due to confidentiality, I cannot be specific on what they had shared. But I’m sure you all can imagine that a year of lockdown and everything being virtual has taken a toll on their social, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The Youth have experienced tough stuff that we didn’t have to as teenagers. They missed out on a lot of things. They missed their proms, graduation, conference, parties, debuts. They’ve missed the simple pleasure of hanging out with their friends. They don’t even get to create friendships with their school friends because everyone is remote, and as soon as class is done, they end their remote call. It’s enough to make anyone feel lonely, but even more so when you’re a teenager who wants to form bonds and friendships.
With all of the hardships of this past year, one thing is for sure in this CFC Youth ministry, they have each other’s back. The monthly virtual HH meetings that they’ve continued to have since the lockdown has helped them cope with the change. They’ve all had a brother and a sister in the community with whom they can be vulnerable and be themselves. The Youth community is truly a blessing.
As a parent coordinator, my takeaway is this, let’s be more understanding with our Youth. Let’s create an environment in our home where love, peace and understanding are being observed. Being a teen in itself is already hard. Having to experience this kind of “normalcy” is even harder for them.
Too long, didn’t read? Here’s a summary: Handle the youth with extra care. They are fragile.