Nine joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome our Restorative Justice (https://www.rjssi.org/) team members Laura Dafoe and Tina Simpson. The intention of this gathering was to explore the challenges faced by our youth and how we as a community can offer them hope and resilience as they transition to adulthood. 

After our Acknowledgement and before we began this conversation, we reviewed and committed to the Group Agreements that would guide our time together: 

1) Honour the talking piece.
2) Speak with care. Listen with care.
3) Speak from the heart. Listen from the heart.
4) Honour confidentiality.
5) Take care of yourself.

We began with a brief discussion theorizing that, while our youth are influenced by very different circumstances, their feelings, needs, and core values remain similar to ours. The book “The Power of Meaning” (https://www.emilyesfahanismith.com/the-book) was suggested for those who wish to explore the idea of how a life with depth and significance can be helpful in trying times.

When we went around the circle introducing ourselves, we were also asked to share the memory of something we had dreamed of as a youth. Responses included:

• Anything is possible,
• A determination to make a difference,
• A drive to always seek justice,
• The dream of becoming a youth counsellor,
• The drive to have adventure,
• The need to be connected,
• The hope of having a happy marriage/relationship,
• The hope of having children,
• The need to become autonomous, and
• A wish to be seen and heard. 

Working with the assumption that many of our hopes and dreams are quite similar to those held by today’s youth, we briefly explored what could spark a sense of connection. Ideas included working collaboratively on a shared project, welcoming youth to engage in meaningful conversations about their experience, and exploring what can we do as a community to support a strong foundation for our future generation. As a start, we agreed that something as simple as eye contact and a smile when passing was a good start. 

We spoke about the importance of recognizing the different realities our youth are facing and their unique hardships. We then split into small groups, asked to explore difficult economic realities. Some discussed possible challenges such as parents working so hard to stay afloat financially, feelings of disconnection, and the dissonant messages of mass consumerism in a world of climate change concerns.

Others spoke of the harsh realities that many young adults are facing. Some recalled how easy it was to move away from home and find a place to live on single income. This is simply not the picture that youth are looking at today. The group explored some of the feelings that this might elicit, suggesting ways that we can proactively support our youth and actively listen to their stories.

We were then asked to identify ways that we can offer hope and resilience to our youth. The options explored were optimistic, and some were actually quite easy to accomplish. They included:

• We can encourage youth to dream and offer to guide them to figure out the steps they need to take to fulfill these dreams. Sometimes dreaming and having someone listen is the most important first step. We need to encourage mentorship opportunities to supplement school activities.
  • Supporting meaningful education for all is imperative.
  • The possibility of a community space for inter-generational groups to connect by playing and working together resonated for many. By having this shared space, youth can share their dreams for the future while also listening to stories of hope and resilience from elders.
  • As we are encouraging youth to participate in multigenerational activities, we should consider trying to get peer groups to participate rather than focusing on individual youth participation.
• “So, how can we get there?” What about adding social spaces to SIMS where food – and dreams – can be shared? While it was acknowledged that SIMS is an amazing community resource, some felt that it could be even more. Most come only to classes and meetings, leaving as soon as they are done. Couldn’t it also become our multi-generational hub?
  • Another offered the possibility of converting the Ganges Firehall into a social hub for all generations. 
  • It was suggested that the Chamber of Commerce (https://www.saltspringchamber.com/)
  consider offering programs and support to encourage our youth to innovate, transforming good ideas into viable companies.
  • We learned a bit about Transition Salt Spring’s Economic Co-op: https://transitionsaltspring.com/tssec/. Could this Salt Spring-based loan program be a source of start-up funding for viable green new businesses owned and managed by our youth? What about getting a loan to buy a cooperative housing venture owned, operated, and lived in by a group of committed young adults? 
  

Our time together nearly over, we were asked to offer an image or a few words that captured what we will take with us as we leave. Responses included: 

• Hope,
• Connection,
• Interest in working together on projects with youth,
• Intrigue with the concept of creating an intergenerational social hub,
• Commitment to follow-up with the Chamber and TSSEC, and
• Remember – the simple act of eye contact and a genuine smile can make a difference in someone’s day! 

Now that we have shifted our attention towards this important topic in our community, we will be inviting youth to participate. Part Two of this conversation will take place Friday, January 9, from 11-1 in our SIMS classroom gathering place. We hope that the young adults in our community can share their answers to some important questions that we are asking about our community today. 

Too soon, this fascinating dialogue was over – for now – and we prepared to leave, thanking Laura and Tina for guiding us through challenging realities to hope. We were appreciative of their deep capacity for care, willingness to explore divisive issues, skill guiding deep and meaningful conversations, and continuous hard work. (Thank-you Tina and Laura!)

Just in case you are interested. . . .This report has been written by Gayle Baker, founder of ASK Salt Spring, currently also a Salt Spring Local Community Commissioner. It has been reviewed and edited by Tina and Laura.