As adults struggle to understand the impact COVID-19 will have on us and our communities, we have an important opportunity for connection with the young people in our lives. We held an inter-generational conversation designed for adults and teens, ages 13 to 18, with David Shapiro, CEO of MENTOR, Dr. Bruce D. Perry, Senior Fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy, and Dr. Torie Weiston-Serdan, the founder of Youth Mentoring Action Network. Together, we explored the intersectionality of this crisis and how we can best support our young people through it.
In the hope that these might serve you on your mission to make this world a better place, we’re sharing out some of the key moments from our discussion.
Insights:

  • You need routine, but you need a different routine right now–start with physical routines, family meal routines, give yourself reflective time (and fill in school and other obligations from there).

  • Open conversions with youth are important. They are often underestimated. Honesty, straight facts and education can help.

  • The single unifying factor that predicts resilience and the ability to heal from past trauma is connectedness–someone or the people who value you.

Practices:

  • Employ youth. Ask them to facilitate webinars as paid work to replace other work that once supported their family.

  • Parse experiences into smaller, manageable moments. Having more predictable moments of stress can build resilience.

  • When in doubt, reach out. Relational moments will get us through this. Listen to others’ reality.

Recommendations and Resources: