A three year old stands on the sidewalk with a confused look in his eyes. All he knows is that he is sad and it feels like nobody ever wants to play with him. Why don’t people like me?
This child, now eight years old, is in 3rd grade and he has learned some things. The world is an unkind place and you have to take care of yourself. No one is there to really help you. I am tough enough to make it so don’t bother caring about me.
Fast forward to middle school. This student’s life is punctuated by unstable relationships and an unclear sense of self. The result? He is not showing up at school and is failing core subjects. He is on track to not graduate from high school. Who really cares about school anyway? I can always get my GED later. Why should I go?
A life trajectory is like the flight of an arrow. Even a small adjustment can impact the destination. The tool we use at KIDS HOPE USA to help influence trajectory is a relationship. Eugene Peterson puts it in this way, “Don’t think you need a lot of equipment for this, you are the equipment…” Our relationships with young people, supported by active and consistent prayer, make a difference. What we are doing matters.
As we continue to try and influence the life trajectory of our KHUSA students we are excited to be in conversation with programs around the country about KIDS HOPE USA NEXT. KIDS HOPE USA NEXT provides the framework for existing mentors to potentially follow their students into middle school and influence life trajectory at a critical developmental juncture. For more information on the KIDS HOPE USA NEXT framework please contact Chris Reinsma at creinsma@kidshopeusa.org.
Chris Reinsma is a guest blogger. He currently works as the program leader of the Virgil Gulker Center for Leadership and Innovation at KIDS HOPE USA.