Elizabeth - “When in doubt, reach out”

“When in doubt, reach out” has turned into an unofficial slogan for students and mentors.  If life is getting you down, the first thing to do is to tell someone about it. It is dangerously unhealthy to keep so many frustrations and/or worries bottled up inside of you without expressing your innermost feelings. Perhaps you may not feel comfortable speaking with your family or with your friends about what is troubling you, but as a Summer Searcher, you have a mentor, an entire staff and a whole community of other Summer Searchers coming from a similar background as you that you can always refer to in order to receive the help that you need. Establishing connections with a supportive network such as Summer Search provides you with the safe space and resources to discover what you value most and to get through even the worst of times.

This idea of not being afraid to ask for help from a mentor is so important, especially for young people who might not be used to having stable support systems in their lives.