TEEN REALITIES

Recall the first year of the pandemic – your world shrinking around you, keeping you away from friends and family. Now imagine that extreme isolation stretching on for over two years…as a teenager…in a small village facing strict governmental restrictions. In an interesting turn of events, the pandemic forced many Guatemalan youth to practice abstinence, hence decreasing the teen pregnancy rate, but those same quarantine and curfew mandates led to terrible isolation and depression. 

The youth that we serve told us this story again and again – that yes, they were safe from COVID but that they just couldn’t live like this with no external connections. Last year, we began to hear about increased violence in their homes, and something we had not yet dealt with: disclosures of suicidal thoughts. We stepped into action when it became clear that Guatemalan youth trusted WINGS staff with this vulnerable information. We hired a Youth Counselor to round out our Youth Program staff, providing one-on-one case management, including warm handoffs to local resources, when adolescents shared situations with us where we could help.

Additionally, teens had a hard time accessing our services in person because they no longer had the excuse of an after-school activity or study session to have an appointment with us. So, we continued the already-tried and true reliance on WhatsApp and social media to connect with teenagers. We started using Facebook LIVE to share pertinent information and connect in a new way. And our entire Youth Program staff kicked into high gear in terms of answering questions, being available, and finding creative ways to find solutions for youth.