GSA Monday Topic: Thoughts for Next Year, Part 2. Mentoring, Giving Back, Giving HOPE

Four generations of hands in my family

Okay, another thing to consider is how can you and the other kids in your high school GSA reach out to the community in the middle and junior high schools you came from?

Not that you have to have ALL the answers to be a mentor, but even two of you going back and talking to a human development or health class at your middle school about being in the GSA at your high school and what it means can make a huge impact on the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders there.

At every point in our journey, we benefit so much from reaching out and helping others.

In fact, one of the best recipes for cooking up your own self-esteem is to get out of your own head and volunteer to help someone else.

Think about what an impact it would have made on you if someone had come in to talk to YOU when you were in 7th grade about their being a Gay Straight Alliance club in the high school.

Realize that YOU can do that for the kids in the junior high. You can give them that gift of perspective, of knowing there's a safe space for them, no matter if they're gay, or questioning, or straight - you can give them that gift of hope!

Things like this take some planning, so start thinking about what steps you'd need to take.

Also, whether or not you're involved in a real-world GSA, getting out there and giving back is something we can ALL do, in many different ways.

Think about how YOU want to give back next year. How can you volunteer? How can you give the gift of HOPE?

And now make a plan to make it happen!

Namaste,
Lee