How will their “second story” read?

Picture this:

“David has been homeless since the age of 12. He first started “couch surfing”, but by age 17 David ran out of places to visit and ended up on the streets. Even while living on the streets, David worked hard to stay in school. A social worker eventually connected with David and let him know about the youth shelter where he currently lives.

Penny says he has been hopping trains for a few months now. Jimi has been traveling for the better part of two years. She took a few months to “kick it” in Los Angeles, but she says it’s good to be back traveling and in New Orleans.

Travelers are a group of homeless youth that – travel. Many were abused or neglected as children. Often thrown away by their parents, fellow travelers become their family.

It was down to 42°f last night in Winnipeg. With the wind, I am sure it felt much colder. Katie said she didn’t sleep much. She mostly walked around to stay warm. As a result of a few bad situations and flawed relationships, Katie has been living on the streets since last March.”^[1]

Surprised? Don’t be.

Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which individuals view him/herself as inadequate, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating behavior.

In the U.S., 25% of high school girls have been abused physically or sexually. Teen girls who are abused this way are 6 times more likely to become pregnant or contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

33% of adolescents in America are victim to sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional dating abuse

More than 40% of boys in middle school and high school regularly exercise with the goal of increasing muscle mass.

75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking, or disordered eating.

But wait; there is more:

About 20% of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.

The top wish among all teen girls is for their parents to communicate better with them.

7 in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members.

Teens who suffer dating abuse are subject to long-term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, promiscuity, thoughts of suicide, and violent behavior.

1 in 3 young people will be in an abusive or unhealthy relationship. The tricky question: what does an unhealthy relationship even looks like?

What if you could positively impact and improve the quality of life of young people in the US? What would you do? How would you help them write their “second story”?

On Frankly Speaking with Tyra G this week, we are blessed with a guest who represents an agency that gets it! An agency that gets the many shades of brokenness in these kids! An agency that is not quick to judge but to reach out, provide for, offer solutions, support, and creatively problem solve.  Most importantly she represents the reality that what has happened to these kids is not who they are.

Join us at www.franklyspeakingwithtyrag.com and be blessed!

[1] https://invisiblepeople.tv/2013/07/

    Until next time, remember,

• You are not alone.

• You are not your circumstances.

• You have everything within you to live a purpose-filled life.