The internet can be a deeply dark and depressing place, even during the holidays.
I was covering a school board work session on school safety and student wellness this fall, and for the second, possibly third year in a row, I teared up a bit listening to the data and student anecdotes about rising anxiety, depression and especially suicidal ideations and attempts.
As a longtime cranky reporter now in my early 40s, I’ve got decently thick skin and have developed stronger boundaries that include avoiding the comment section for the sake of my sanity, but I will admit it can take a frustratingly huge toll on my mental health.
Merry and Bright: Great Falls holiday guide
Sitting in those meetings, I simply cannot imagine trying to process and cope with that kind of meanness, bullying and vitriol as a teenage girl.
A bright spot in those meetings has been the student created peer mentoring groups that recently changed their name to LIFT.
This fall, the students talked about some of their activities, which included affirmations for student and staff.
It reminded me of a tradition we had at church retreats from my high school days that were over weekends.
Each one included Mason jars for each participant, whether they be an attendee, the teen leaders or adult chaperones.
We decorated the jars, put our names on them and left them on tables in the main gathering area that was open for the duration of the retreat.
Throughout the weekend, everyone wrote little notes of affirmation, thanks, appreciation, jokes or just cartoon drawings from the boys sometimes, and filled each others jars.
Two decades or so later, I still have four of those jars and on particularly bad days, I’ve been known to sit down with them, dump them out, reread all those notes and remember the person I was and the person I wanted to be.
The notes are kind, honest, funny and always make me smile.
So, I’m outright stealing that old hometown tradition of ours, inspired by the Great Falls Public Schools peer mentoring group students, and creating a virtual community jar this holiday season.
Here’s how it works:
- Think of someone local who’s made your year a little bit better, inspired you, helped others, or just needs a pick me up. It can be anyone, but obviously, it must be a nice note.
- Write it out.
- Sign it with a real name.
- Email it to jenn@theelectricgf.com (pretty please write “community jar” in the subject line to help me keep track)
- We’ll compile them into a holiday post for the new year and sprinkle them in our social media posts.
Simple as that and hopefully we’ll use the internet for good for a little while.
Thanks to Keed’n at Speaking Socially for making the graphic.