By Mary Christa Smith
Prevention is everyone’s opportunity.
If you are a parent, counselor, teacher, grandparent, coach or neighbor, you have the opportunity to support young people in a way that helps them thrive.The key to prevention is BONDING.
Simply put, when young people feel connected to adults, they tend to follow their clear standards for behavior. (hopefully we are all POSITIVE role models)
Chances are you have examples of people who were there for you when you were growing up – people who cared, who listened, who believed in your potential. Mrs. Hewlett was my person in high school. She was loving and tough as nails. Most importantly, I never wanted to disappoint her. She paid attention if I missed class and called me out if I was slacking. She was intelligent, funny and full of compassion. I’ve never worked as hard and enjoyed it as much as I did in her class. She instilled a love of the humanities I carry with me to this day.
We all have the opportunity to be that person for the youth in our community.
The key to bonding is speaking the LOVE LANGUAGE of the other person – learning how they best receive love, and how you can give love in a way that is resonant and builds strong bonds.
Communities That Care is teaming up with Leah Harter and the Christian Center of Park City to offer you an experiential workshop on the 5 LOVE LANGUAGES. Space is limited, you can register here https://5lovelanguagesworkshop.eventbrite.com
This post originally appeared on mentalwellnessalliance.org.