We have asked a lot of everyone over the last 9 months in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and our teens are one of those groups that have been hit the hardest. They have missed milestones like prom and graduations, school sports and dances, and the simple daily in-person interactions with their friends and adults with whom they have built strong connections.
Teens are also a group that is pretty resilient and innovative and the team of Be Strong knows that. Be Strong is a non-profit whose mission is to empower youth to prevent bullying, isolation, and suicide. They meet this mission by igniting change in peer behavior through a comprehensive student-led approach to: encourage ALL students to reveal challenges they are facing, train and equip students to become more resilient, arm them with the Be Strong App to access real-time and local resources that can help, and unite them to change their families, schools, communities, states, and country.
Be Strong has partnered with LG for the #GiveHappiness campaign. This campaign focuses on 6 sustainable happiness skills that youth can practice in order to live a happier life. A strong feature of these happiness skills is that they focus on teens’ relationships with others and teens learn that they are not alone. There are others out there who will help them overcome the challenges that life has thrown at them, whether through a pandemic or after. These are life skills that will serve them well.
Yes, reported cases of abuse and neglect are down, but we know that is because children and teens aren’t in school. The teachers and staff at school are not able to make in-person connections and checks on youth. Youth are more isolated now more than ever. As adults, we feel overwhelmed and stressed through the changes that COVID-19 has brought on so imagine what our youth are going through. Many lack the social-emotional skills needed to navigate their way through isolation.
Sharing the messaging of the #GiveHappiness campaign is something that we can all do and something we can all practice. Modeling these 6 sustainable happiness skills for our own children is a great place to start and a great way to #GiveHappiness.
