With today’s current global situation, it can be very difficult to stay connected or keep in touch physically with your community. Staying connected currently requires people to step up and take action. Even if it’s as simple as hanging out with friends or arranging a group gathering, it’s necessary for people to have the courage to not let boundaries and restrictions come before fun and their way of life. Being able to stay safe and still have fun with friends and family is very important for kids’ mental health and wellbeing.

My community has done many things to stay connected through these challenging times. One thing my community regularly does is a group meeting of kids known as “Younglife.” We meet every two weeks to play random games and just mess around having fun. Without people stepping up to run these meetings, many people, including me, wouldn’t be able to meet new people and stay connected with friends that we may not see as often due to the pandemic. Younglife is a great way to safely stay connected by wearing masks and staying at a safe distance away from each other and at the same time not conforming to staying inside alone.

People are only going to continue to stay separated from friends and community members if we continue to let this pandemic control us. Taking action to strengthen friendships and our communities is the best way to get through this pandemic. Safely reinforcing relationships and creating new ones will help us push our way through these hard times while lifting each other up.