In September, I started volunteering as a co-facilitator of a support group for high school kids in Philadelphia who have experienced the death of a loved one (typically a parent or grandparent). I have been amazed by their willingness to share their feelings and by their support of one another. As I hear them talk about the times they've cried, about how they care for their younger siblings, and ask each other thoughtful and genuine questions, I feel honored to be a part of their healing process, grateful that this outlet is available to them, and proud that they were brave enough to take advantage of it. However, then I hear them talk about their anger, about fighting in school on a regular basis, about having been arrested, about friends who have been murdered, and my heart breaks. This is the reality for so many young students in the city of Philadelphia, and it just shouldn't be that way. I see the hearts in these kids, I see the goodness, and the authenticity. But, it's a matter of survival sometimes. This is what they know.
I have passion. I am inspired. But how do we change the reality of a city? How do we change something that is the result of such a large-scale problem? How do I, someone who has lived a life of such privilege in comparison, and who has never known what it's like to feel unsafe in school or on the streets of the neighborhood in which I grew up, make them see that education matters, that they can have a bright future, but they have to be willing to fight for that instead of fighting each other? It takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage to overcome the obstacles these kids face; to break through a reality that consists of poverty, drugs, and violence. I just want them to know that it's possible, and that they are way more powerful than they realize. Yes, I am the cliche...I want to make a difference. I'm not so naive as to think that I can single-handedly change the world. But, if I can help change the trajectory of just one kid's life, then I have at least changed his/her world. And that is good enough for me.
