What a year
The end of 2020 brought a lot of challenges to YouthBridge-NY and the teens we work with. Despite that, YouthBridge-NY successfully kicked off our 2020-2021 programming. Utilizing Zoom, we welcomed a new cohort of Fellows, as well as our Bridgers who are back for their second year. By thinking creatively, we have been able to adapt our skillbuilding sessions, committee meetings, and bonding activities to a virtual setting. Read more below about how our teens have been impacted by the pandemic, and what role YouthBridge-NY plays in their experience of it.
I don’t have to wait until I’m an adult to make a difference
By Gabriella Calabia
An empty, rainy street in Gabriella’s neighborhood
“As you may already know, the school system will be fully remote starting tomorrow, November 19, 2020. We know we will stay fully remote through Thanksgiving but we do not know what date Blended Learning will resume...” So read the email sent out a month ago by my high school officially announcing their doors would not be open.
This would be the second closure, eight months after the initial one in March. Burned into my memory was that last Friday of my sophomore year. No one knew it was the final day but I remember constantly hitting refresh on The New York Times’ Coronavirus Outbreak page, back when cases were measured in double digits. I heard feet tapping as the school administration made unorthodox trips to each classroom trying to explain the forthcoming future. Students coming to school were shrinking and just that morning my history teacher posed a discussion question to those that remained: are we overreacting? We chuckled at the headlines of colleges sending everyone home but I knew we were really trying to mask a growing fear. No one was laughing the next month and I was left to wonder how it seemed to happen so quickly.
After all this time I feel I should be more comfortable. Still, six hours of zoom is weird. I am slightly unnerved with never having met my teachers in person. I sit on edge watching the news and reading headlines like never before. Throughout all this, I keep telling myself that New York City was the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States and I lived through that. The US Navy sent us a ship to handle the overflow of patients and doctors and nurses from across the globe volunteered to assist us. I don’t think that a global pandemic will ever be normal, and in the same way, I don’t think existing through our devices will ever feel normal either.
As a Fellow I was selected for the Health & Inequality committee and right now we’re working to better understand how different social factors affect health outcomes with a focus on the most vulnerable populations. COVID-19 may not discriminate, but it has disproportionately ravaged low-income communities of color, exposing long standing inequalities in healthcare, and our overall society. I came to YouthBridge-NY with a passion for medicine, and through the articles, conversations, and incredible speakers, a crucial third dimension to my perception of science has been added. I have been able to realize that no action truly lies in isolation and have reckoned with my own place in the world.
In many ways the pandemic has only seemed to hasten the future and like many other teens I do envision my adult life and aspirations, but I no longer ask myself solely what I want to do. I now follow that question up with, what problems will I work to solve? How can I collaborate to build sustainable solutions for an inclusive path forward? Living through the pandemic, in NYC nonetheless, I have witnessed some of the most challenging times in recent history. However, I will be a testament to the overwhelming fortitude, perseverance, and compassion exhibited by each and everyone. Nothing about this is normal, nor are the selfless actions that carry our city and world.
The school email continued on letting us know that they would “alert the school community when we resume blended learning.” It dawned on me that this was one of the first times when there was no one I could turn to for the answer because we were all thrust into this together. The cadence of the message was hopeful and even six feet apart we were there for eachother. Through the support of my school and YouthBridge-NY, I know we will forge forward together. I also know I don’t have to wait until I’m an adult to make a difference.
A Pandemic Among Us
By Mahesa Miah
Mahesa’s screenshot from when our Fellows played Among Us in December
Never did I think, a year of my life would be spent almost entirely indoors and virtually. I went from exploring the different avenues of New York City to gaining expertise in the features of Zoom and Google Classroom. Despite the aches and pains that accompany a primarily virtual world, YouthBridge-NY has done an excellent job in minimizing those effects. We engage in activities that almost make us forget we’re looking at each other in small boxes.
I believe having conversations with others is fundamental to growth and personally, helps me develop a stronger knowledge base. One of my fears with the online transition was being limited in how much I was learning about the world. However, with YouthBridge-NY, I no longer have that fear. Although we meet only twice a month, each meeting is filled with companionship, support, and knowledge. A moment that really stuck with me was the first time the Fellows and I engaged in a skill-building activity by playing a game of Among Us. It was so fun to see everyone with their thinking caps on. Even though the impostor caught me really quickly, I still enjoyed the conversations that went on during emergency meetings. It was entertaining to watch everyone work with each other to identify the impostor. Although I’m sure being in person would be a lot more fun, YouthBridge-NY has done a great job in making sure we still get the full experience. This virtual experience has taught me that adaptability is important because you never know what will hit you.