Hi everyone! Ari here from the AGE UP staff. It’s been a wild 2020 so far, so I wanted to take some time to reflect and update all of you about what we’ve been up to at AGE UP!
We can’t ignore the fact that something big has impacted all of us during this time – Coronavirus/COVID-19. This pandemic and social distancing has forced us to make many drastic changes in our lives – we’re experiencing adjustments to our daily routines, figuring out new ways to connect with friends and family, and taking lots of precautions to keep ourselves and others safe. Our communities have been hit hard with businesses shutting down, folks losing their jobs, and fear of the virus spreading and infecting ourselves and our loved ones.
But a few things give me hope at this time. People are coordinating efforts to get food and supplies to those in need, homemade masks are being sewed and donated to essential businesses and workers, organizers are fundraising money to support folks who are experiencing income disruptions. So despite all the bad stuff that’s happening, it’s amazing to see that people are finding ways to show up for each other and support.
At AGE UP, we’ve been trying to figure out a lot of things. We can’t play or coach frisbee, gather our community for big events, cook homemade meals together, or even share high fives and hugs. But we know that one thing is super important to us at this time – our relationships with each other.
So while we can’t run workshops or do overnight retreats, we’ve been spending time connecting with the young folks we work with. Every week, we run a check in with some AGE UP program returners over Zoom (see the picture above) and last night, we even put together a check-in open to our AGE UP community.
During our check-ins, we spend time reflecting on how we’re doing – things that are hard, things that have been bringing us joy – and spend some time playing online games with each other. Creating this space for folks to support one another and check-in is so important. And it’s a highlight for me every week.
We’ve also been doing some direct response work due to the impacts of coronavirus/COVID-19. Thanks to a grant and fundraising efforts from our community, we’ve been able to distribute cash assistance to folks who experienced some income disruptions. In a lot of ways, I wish we could do more, but it does feel good to help our community in the ways that we can.
And there are a few ways that you can support us during this time! Drop a line to let us know how you’re doing, donate to our COVID-19 response fund here, or contribute to our biggest fundraiser of the year, GiveBIG.
AGE UP exists because of our young people, our staff, and because of support from folks like you. Help us continue to create and maintain important relationships with our young people in our community, pay our staff to do this essential work, and figure out new ways show up for each other during these trying times. It’s a crazy time, but I know we can get through all of this together.
Lots of love,
Ari