IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW
Guest Blog by: Laura Jory, Volunteer at RE:SOUL Youth Centre
If only I knew then what I know now…
I don’t know about you, but I have often reflected on how much smoother my elementary and high school years would have been if I could have only had the perspective and knowledge that I do as an adult.
For instance, I would have known that wearing overalls with one strap unattached is kind of non-sensical and looks ridiculous.
I would have known that all my stress over a dating relationship that lasted for 2 hours in Grade 8 was not quite as big of a deal as it felt at the time.
I would have known that even though people sometimes made fun of me or did not include me, that those events in no way needed to define my actual value as an individual.
As I watch my own children grow up I so also want to impart wisdom that might protect them from hurt or from ever questioning their worth. I want them to know solidly that they are loved and that they have the ability to communicate kindness and acceptance to other kids around them at school or at church.
Of course, there is only so much perspective that we can pass on to younger generations and in fact all kids and youth will wrestle with the questions of where they fit and if they matter. This is why consistent reassurances of love and safety matter so much as children grow.
As kids enter Middle School and High School, their perspectives and questions definitely begin to shift. Their awareness of others and the world around them begins to grow and many things become more uncertain. This is the main stage where I so wish my younger self could have had a stronger sense of belonging, of certainty about who I was and what I had to offer the world. When a young person is confident in their value, of being known and being accepted, there is a powerful assurance and security that can reshape so many aspects of their lives. They do not need to find acceptance in harmful relationships or destructive behavior if they are sure of their place & know that they have something of value to offer.
Although I cannot return to my own high school days (nor do I really desire to; I would look completely ridiculous in overalls at this stage) at RE:SOUL I am so thankful for the beautiful opportunity to speak value and belonging into the lives of the teens who come.
When teens are asking the questions: Do I matter? Where do I belong? What do I have to offer? – I love that we can create a space where it is safe to engage with those questions, and where we can communicate to each one that they have infinite value, that they are a part of us, and that each of them has wonderfully unique and meaningful ways that they can change the world for the better.
I love that at RE:SOUL we can use this time, right now, to speak value, belonging and purpose into the lives of young people; because truly, it can make all the difference.
I hope that these truths will sit deep in the hearts and lives of my own children and I hope that these truths will be rooted in each wonderful youth that we meet at RE:SOUL; that they will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are loved. This is why I volunteer at the youth centre.
With Gratitude,
Laura Jory
Volunteer, RE:SOUL Youth Centre / YFC Milton
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