How do you want your life to end up?
photo by Derek A
This week we saw the “Coming of Age” ceremony celebrated in Japan as the young adults who turned 20 years old joined the majority. Many young ladies dressed in the traditional kimonos while young men wore suits.
One of the things we realized from the homes that we support is that the children who turn 20 do not have kimonos and the staff tend to raise the money to rent them. We would like to appeal to people who are holding on to kimonos and are willing to donate or loan them for this special occasion. We can put you in contact with our respective homes to support.
The other thing we think about as we go into the 3rd year of our 5 year plan is that this year is to be focused on Access; Resources, Connectivity, and Networking.
While the children in the homes did not have much say in way they came into this world or the families into which they were born, they can have a say on how their lives end up. We, at YouMeWe see this as our mission.
Life plans help people think about how they want their lives to end up. By having a plan, at any age, helps everyone even if they go off course for a short while. It is that plan that you can come back to. At YouMeWe we are evolving from the analogy of offering ornaments for a Christmas Tree when a child has never seen a decorated tree. Through Life Plans, Life Connection, Money Connection ,Career Assessments and SMART Goal planning, then we can offer the kids the skills sets they will need to focus on in order to be successful in their futures.
This is where the volunteers and donors are most important. Not only providing the funding as we do this but also to act as mentors and coaches to the kids as well as becoming that extended network for the children as grown adults. The children are not the problems, it is their family of origin which is where they come from but their family of destination which holds the answers and where they are headed with our help.
What the children in the homes need more than anything is that human connection. The effort and reminder that their lives matter and are worth investing in.
How do you want your life to end up?
