There are days that you live in your life, and no words can ever be enough to relive them. Every attempt to describe them using simple English words always sends you into a reverie. You start smiling to yourself and laughing at everything and nothing in particular and some people may think you are running amok! (Smiles) 16th December 2022, was one such a day!
I have always had a soft spot for little things; puppies, kittens, blossoming flowers, babies, children and, yes, adolescents. Adolescents can be incredibly fascinating beings but mostly, they are a misunderstood lot. Maybe it’s my motherly instincts but I love to spend time with them. To talk with them, to hear their stories, mentor them, inspire them to be better and be better myself.
So, that really cool Friday, I was honoured, along with three other team members from All for Mental Health, to facilitate at a colourful Adolescent Skills Building Session at the Adolescent Health Clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital. It was the first of its kind I have had the privilege of being a part of. And well, like all first times, it was unforgettable!
The session was themed on ‘RESILIENCE’.
The dictionary definition of resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. It is the ability of an individual to function competently in the face of adversity or stress. From a health point of view, adolescence is, arguably, the best period of life. One is in peak health, peak strength, and there’s room for growth. If those conditions are not a precursor for happiness, then I don’t know what is! But on the other hand, it is during this period that there is great tendency to undertake risky behaviours that compromise adolescent health and wellbeing.
In adolescence, young people become vulnerable to mental health problems such as depression, suicidal behaviours, eating disorders, substance abuse and various addictions. The successful or unsuccessful development of adolescents therefore depends on the risks and protection they are exposed to. The interplay between risk and protection influences the mechanisms of resilience or vulnerability. That was the foundation of our interaction with the adolescents that beautiful Friday morning.
The line up of speakers was as good as it can get, with the widely experienced Dr. Sabrina Kitaka in the lead. The team from All for Mental Health that accompanied me were, Dr. Raymond Bernard Kihumuro, Dr. Shamillah Matama, and Ms. Irene Peace Ashaba. Altogether, we interacted with about 50 adolescents.
In an overly interactive session, among other aspects of resilience, we dwelt mainly on the subjects of; resilience in health, resilience in prayer and resilience at work (school).
The first and most important take away from this session was boldly branded on the shirts we wore that day. Adolescence is a transition period in life and young people are doing a lot of self searching, looking for acceptance, wanting to belong somewhere. Do be gentle with these young people, they are fragile and will break easily.
Lesson Two: It’s never too earlyA journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. Before you can run, you have to learn to crawl first. The little steps, the small beginnings are the biggest difference makers in life. Seize your chance. I like to believe that as long as you are good enough, you are old enough! No one should tell you that you are still too young to accomplish certain things.
Edith Wharton got it wrong when she said, “There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Young people are both! Children are the light and yes, depending on how we deal with them, they can be the mirror too.
Lesson Four: Self esteem is a journeyPositive self esteem is important in adolescence. It allows one to try new things, take healthy risks and solve problems. Their learning and development will be productive and will set them up for a healthy and positive future. And it is not gotten in one instalment. It is a built over a period of time by doing repetitive actions and showing a great deal of resilience! I could write on and on without end about that amazing experience and still I’d feel like I’ve left out something. I cannot possibly exhaust it all in writing, which is why they say some things are better experienced.
Way Forward Youth Africa is a youth-led non-profit dedicated to revolutionizing the African health sector through innovation and advocacy.
Kampala, Uganda
+256-70643-0021
info@wayforwardyouth.org