Teens, Stress, Coping, and The Importance of Play
“At the end of our life, we ought to be able to look back over it from our deathbed and know somehow the world is a better place because we lived, we loved, we were other-centered, other-focused.”
Through the Lens
Our students battle a lot under the surface; one youth who is one of our best leaders is the first of his siblings to stay in school. At one of our mentor sessions he shared with us how discouraged he has felt lately. He doesn't have a lot of parental support at home as he tries to keep up with his schooling, works a job on the weekends, and tends to his younger sibling after school. Being a brother, a fill-in parent, a son, an employee, and a student is a lot for this 15-year-old. Add in the desire of trying to fit in and all of the other pressures teens face, the situation can often feel hopeless.
That’s where Stone of Hope comes in: we check in with each student at our weekly mentor sessions. We lend a listening ear, speak life, encourage, and give students an opportunity to be heard. All of these seemingly little actions add up to something big, and create a positive community of which our students look forward to belonging.
Children At Play
“[Play promotes] the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain. Furthermore, play supports the formation of the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with all caregivers that children need to thrive.”
Sports and activities are a big part of our mentor sessions each week at Stone of Hope Youth. This past month we tried our new "Hamster Wheel" team building game (above left) and played one of our all time favorites - "Will Ball" (above right). The CDC reports that children with the highest social vulnerability are less engaged in sports activities. Exercise and play help with the management of toxic stress which our boys deal with daily. Our commitment to see these boys through their Elementary, Middle School and High School years means we must give them outlets and opportunities to help them manage their stress successfully and to help them feel like they can overcome and achieve anything.
The Stats According to the CDC
Sports participation increased with increasing family income, from 31.2% among children with a family income of less than 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 70.2% among children with a family income of 400% or more of FPL (Figure 3). The percentage of children aged 6-17 years that participated in sports during the past 12 months decreased as the social vulnerability of the county they lived in increased. This ranged from 61.4% among those living in counties with little to no social vulnerability to 44.5% for those living in counties with high social vulnerability.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2020
3rd Annual Snowshoeing Mini-Camp
They say 3 days in nature allows the mind and body to reset. Though we couldn't spend 3 days on our mini snowshoe camp, the glory of the fresh powder and the beautiful bluebird day was breathtaking and rejuvenating! Four of our generous donors were able to join us along with 7 of our Directors and Mentors. After our traditional breakfast of homemade burritos in the parking lot, we geared up and - because we arrived at the summit before most - we got to be the first to make tracks in the newly fallen snow, even carving out a big "SOHY" with our tracks! While they walked they talked, and laughed, told stories and jokes, and even broke into song along the way. At the midway point, we stopped, breathed deeply, and took in the crystal clear views and the silence and heard from our Directors and Mentors about the gift of nature, and how they can recall the moment of stillness when their world feels loud and confusing.
Financial Peace
Knowledge is Power, especially when it comes to money. Our goal is to give our youth tools to open the doors to success they wouldn't otherwise have. Helping them understand how to earn, give, save, and spend wisely. We have continued to use the Ramsey Solutions curriculum with our High School students and will begin the same curriculum with our Middle School students next fall, as Ramsey Solutions has updated their curriculum to include Middle & High School in one book!
Summer Camp is Coming!
Our 6th Annual Summer Camp will be held the first weekend of June. We will be in the mountains of Northern Utah in Liberty at Camp UTABA. This is a powerful time of growth and connection for the boys where they engage in ropes courses and team building activities, learn how to fish and canoe, and so much more!
Your Gifts Matter
Thank you to all of our financial supporters for blessing our youth. Without your gracious gifts, we would not be able to provide our boys with the many experiences throughout the year. We are always seeking new donors as there is a big need to support our ever-growing organization. To become a monthly donor or to give a one-time gift, please visit us at stoneofhopeyouth.org, or visit the donate link at the bottom of this page.
Thank you also to our mentors who give their time and effort on a weekly basis! The boys stay in our organization because of the mentors that speak into their lives every week.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
The Stone of Hope Youth Team
www.stoneofhopeyouth.org
info@stoneofhopeyouth.org