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Make the choice, get involved
Written by: Amelia Allen
In school, I was the quiet, shy girl. I wasn’t good at
sports. I didn’t have the money the other kids had. I wasn’t popular. Most of
all, I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere. The world today is not a nice
place to grow up in. More and more kids and even adults are making bad decisions,
life-altering decisions simply because, like me, they don’t feel like they
belong anywhere. The day that I stopped feeling like this was the day that I
made an effort, a conscious decision to get involved.
Color guard is one thing that most people don’t know about.
They are the people they see on the football field but never give a second
thought to. I was the exact same way until an opportunity presented itself to
me and I jumped.
For those of you who don’t have any idea what color guard
(guard) is, it’s a group of people, both female and male, that perform for an
audience using flags, rifles, sabers, and dance. It may sound arbitrary,
boring, or even stupid (which believe me are all things that I have heard
before), but to me it meant for the first time in my life, I belonged
somewhere.
Personally, guard not only gave me a sense of belonging, but
it also gave me opportunity. It gave me the opportunity to break out of my
shell. For the first time in my life, I opened up to new people, made new
friends with people I wouldn’t have ever known before, and I felt good about
myself. Joining a team was a scary thing for me, but it taught me that I could
rely on other people, I could ask for help, and I finally had someone other
than my family to look up to. Working with the older girls and guys gave me confidence
and also comfort. Through these new found relationships, I gained mentors in
not only the guard world, but my everyday life as well. I made ever lasting
friendships, friendships that even now, six years later, I still hold dear.
One other (though not the last, I assure you) thing that I
was able to learn from my experience with color guard was leadership. As I grew
more confident in myself and my abilities, I was granted more leadership
positions. One thing that this new found leadership did for me was give me
confidence. Finally, I was able to help someone else, be a mentor to someone
else and feel good doing it.
When I look back at my experience, I can never forget
everything that color guard was able to give to and instill in me. Because of
my color guard world, I can finally see myself as successful, outgoing, and
beautiful. Color guard gave me the hope and the courage to belong. It gave me the
courage to get involved. Life long friends. Life long memories. Life long experience. For me, it was guard but for you, it could be
anything. 
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Importance of Fashion
Fashion is exciting, fun, but at time can be a headache. Your first
impression is EVERYTHING, but has the fashion world went too far trying to make
it look as if you have to dress or look a certain way to get somewhere?
Nowadays, because of fashion, youth think that "perfect" is what
defines yourself or what they have to do to fit in. Does youth only dress a
certain way to please themself or to please the people that they want to
associate themselves around? Fashion is kind of what places people into certain
cliques like emo, preppy, goth, etc. Some youth believe as if you need to be
like everyone around you to be happy. Fashion shouldn’t portray this it should portray
individuality and uniqueness. Some icons have used fashion to differentiate themselves
from everyone else such as Lady Gaga. What we need to teach the youth is that the
challenge in life is not to become perfect, it's accepting that you already are
so why not dress to please yourself? Fashion is something that even the shy
ones can even have a loud, clear voice for everyone to hear. We all know that
youth doesn’t have much of a voice, but fashion gives us the opportunity to be
LOUD! You can even design a shirt for certain awareness and use the money to
give back. With fashion anything is possible. The way you dress is an easy
conversation starter and a way to show who you really are. It’s something that
defines you. So why not dress the way you want and get your point across
without saying one word?
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are mine and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MCCOY. If you would like to learn more about how your voice can be heard, please sign up for MCCOY's advocacy newsletter, Youth Advocacy Council, or follow us at MCCOY_Advocacy*
Kristina Blume-YAC member
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It Only Takes One to Make a Difference
For nearly 10 years I have had the privilege to work with many amazing teenagers as a youth director at a local church. Over the years this work has challenged me both emotionally and spiritually. In the times of these challenges, both good and bad, I have often reminded myself of why I do what I do. I do this work not only because I feel this is truly what I am called to do in life, but also because of the great impact someone else had on me as a teenager and the commitment I made to myself many years before I began my career to make a similar impact in the life of at least one teenager. As a high school student I struggled as any teen does with school, friends, romantic relationships…but I also struggled emotionally as my parents went through periods of separation and my dad battled alcoholism. The difficulties I had going on in my home life spilled over into all the other aspects of my life; school, friends, extra-curricular activities, etc. As I journeyed through this part of my life and all that it brought, I needed support and someone to talk to. The person I was able to talk to was my school guidance counselor, Ms. Allen. Ms. Allen listened to me, she let me cry when I needed to cry, she let me be me and cared about me and my well-being through all of the ups and downs of my life throughout my four years in high school. Ms. Allen was a constant for me, as a constant support and strength, helping me in every aspect of my life, even though I only saw her once or twice a week at school. I knew that if ever I needed someone to listen, or a shoulder to cry on, I could walk to her office and find comfort and peace. I truly believe that if it had not been for the wonderful relationship I established with Ms. Allen as a ninth grader, I would never have made it through high school without significant emotional problems. Ms. Allen forever impacted me and has helped shape me into the woman I am today. So now, as I work with teenagers struggling with all that life throws their way, I remember Ms. Allen and how she helped me. I remind myself that if I can impact just one teen the way she impacted my life, and me I will have accomplished great things. I strive everyday to do this. Who has impacted your life and helped you to become who you are today? How are you impacting the teenagers you interact with? I wish for every teen to have a Ms. Allen in their life. Maybe you already are a Ms. Allen for someone, even if you do not know it! ~Stephanie K., Indiana University School of Social Work 
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