What should I do this summer?
Hey there. Good question!
So when I first thought of this question, I thought, ‘Oh, well I’ve got a list of things you could do!’ But, then I thought of how rare it was for me as a teenager to actually think about what I wanted to do with my time, much less to plan it out. So huge props to you!
Maybe ask yourself what you’re passionate about? The environment? Health? Preventing drug and alcohol use? And ask yourself what you like to do? Make stuff? Share stuff? Hang out with friends? Make stuff better? Now put these together and you’ve got a start….If you’re passionate about the environment, like to hang with friends and make stuff better, you could host a community party in a local park or garden where folks could pick up trash, plant new flowers, and traditional foods. We R Native will even give you money…you could use it to feed everybody, buy plants, flowers, or give away a prize at the end.
Not only will you feel better, but you’ll be able to bolster pride in the community, and give kids who look up to you a greater sense of belonging. So, while eating fiery hot Cheetos, and watching daytime TV sounds awesome….you probably won’t feel as good as if you got out there and did something.
I’m also going to give you a list of some other ideas, so get a pen and paper:
- Youth Engaged 4 Change lists job and internship opportunities as well as directs you to search what your State has to offer.
- AmeriCorps helps you to get involved with your community needs.
- Registered Apprenticeships will let you search what apprenticeships are near you.
You can check out the grants section of We R Native to apply for $475 to get your own project funded. You can also find ideas for how to get started and look up what other youth have done across Indian Country. So, even though it may be hard to think of this now, what you do now will shape the person you want to become. So what you do does matter. Make it count!
Thanks for writing in and happy Summer to you!
Love,
Auntie Manda
