Youth Internship
Building resilience in youth during times of system collapse is crucial for their emotional well-being and ability to navigate challenges. Firstly, fostering a sense of community and connection is essential. Encourage open communication, creating a safe space for them to express fears and concerns. This shared experience can help build a support network.
Teaching practical skills is another key aspect. Equip youth with problem-solving skills, adaptability, and critical thinking. This can be achieved through educational programs, workshops, or even mentorship initiatives. By instilling a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning, youth can develop the resilience needed to face uncertainty.
Cultivating emotional intelligence is equally important. Encourage self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication. These skills not only aid personal development but also contribute to building strong interpersonal relationships that serve as pillars of support.
Promoting a healthy lifestyle is integral to resilience. Encourage regular exercise, a balanced diet, and sufficient sleep, as these contribute to physical and mental well-being. Additionally, mindfulness practices can help youth manage stress and enhance their ability to stay present in the face of adversity.
Lastly, instill a sense of purpose and agency. Empower youth to take positive actions within their communities, reinforcing the idea that they can contribute to positive change even in challenging circumstances. By combining these elements, a foundation for resilience can be laid, enabling youth to face and overcome adversities during times of system collapse.
Why creativity is so important: (edit!)
In nurturing resilience among youth during times of system collapse, incorporating creativity becomes a powerful tool. Embrace innovative approaches to foster a sense of community, encouraging collaborative projects or artistic expressions that provide a shared platform for self-expression and support.
Integrating creativity into practical skill-building adds a dynamic dimension. Use unconventional methods, such as gamified learning or interactive workshops, to instill problem-solving abilities and adaptability. Creative thinking nurtures resilience by inspiring unconventional solutions to challenges, preparing youth for the unpredictability of a changing system.
Promote emotional intelligence through creative outlets like art, music, or writing. These mediums enable youth to explore and express their emotions, developing a nuanced understanding of themselves and others. Creative expression becomes a therapeutic channel, enhancing resilience in the face of adversity.
Embed creativity in promoting a healthy lifestyle by incorporating enjoyable physical activities, introducing culinary exploration, or engaging in artistic practices that contribute to mental well-being. Creativity can turn routine self-care into an exciting and personalized experience.
Lastly, infuse creativity into the sense of purpose and agency. Encourage youth to explore inventive ways to contribute positively to their communities, fostering a spirit of innovation and empowerment. By weaving creativity into these various aspects, we not only build resilience but also inspire a generation capable of adapting and thriving amidst the complexities of a system in flux.
Who I am:
Sunny Lindley is a resiliency coach, urban homesteader and eco-artist. Trained in ACES and with many years of experience as a youth and adult educator. Single parent of 3 sons.
Why I’m offering this:
Everyday regeneration, the human is a central organism in the environment requiring regeneration in these challenging times.
Problem:
Schools are experiencing lower enrollment since the pandemic. Many parents and kids don’t feel like what public schools have to offer are in alignment with their values and needs.
Hands on learning
Practical life skills such as cooking, growing food, managing money, conflict resolution
Creative maker skills
are inadequate in public schools. Youth are ready for a new model of learning that inspires their aspirations. They know they can learn almost anything they want on the internet or through vocational training programs, so standardized education just doesn’t motivate them. Kids these days need to learn how to learn and how to navigate a very different vocational landscape than what parents experienced or what school can teach them about.
Resilience
Schools never have taught much psychology of human relations or self-inquiry, self-relationship, self-care. It usually stops at learning skills to conform in large group settings. Youth are experiencing higher than ever before anxiety, depression and lack of motivation. The rigid structures of schools and the administrative dogma are rendering schools unable to respond quickly and effectively enough to the rapidly changing needs of our youth.
Solution:
Sense of belonging to and being an integral part of something bigger
Hands on learning
Practical life skills
Creative maker skills
Resilience education and durable human bonds
Who: Youth Ages 12-18
What: Get paid to learn, 2 hrs/wk, $75/mo
Work together with Sunny for hands on learning
Can get HS credit
Reference and job skills for a resume
You get the opportunity to take any of the classes offered at Sunny Joy Farm and Magical Botanical Studio for free (supplies may need to be purchased).
How it works: After you’ve applied and been accepted, you’ll meet with Sunny to discuss your strengths, interests, opportunities for growth and support needed. Sunny will write up a biography that will be used to inspire community giving. The community and your family and friends can make donations to support your learning and the projects that support youth at Sunny Joy Farm and Magical Botanical Studio. Minimum donation is $150/mo with half that being paid as a stipend to the student intern.
How to apply: Read the internship description
Write a letter of interest and send it to sunny@sunnyjlindley.com