Teenage girls
Are comparable to a natural mineral or gemstone
When a mineral or gemstone is first discovered
It is often buried beneath layers of mountains, stones, dirt, roots, or water
It is often smudged, cracked, or scuffed
It has been exposed to natural and unnatural elements for many years which has hidden its beauty from the world
Many minerals and gemstones are unidentifiable to the naked eye
Many are passed up and thought to be just another pile of rubble or stone
Like natural minerals and gemstones
Teenage girls are often forced to endure life experiences that can cause them to become smudged, cracked, and scuffed.
Experiences that are often out of their control
Experiences that change their lives forever
Experiences that may make them feel unidentifiable to both themselves and the rest of the world.
Like a natural mineral or gemstone
Teenage girls can be discovered, polished, and changed forever.
Like miners, the adults in our community can invest the time it takes to transform a teenage girl’s life for the rest of her life.
Showing interest, mentoring, supporting, and encouraging a teenage girl will help to polish her and allow her to shine.
You can do this through being a teacher, a coach, a neighbor, and a friend.
A few minutes a week of your time is all that it takes.
Together, the adults in our community can help to produce thousands of sparkling and precious teenage girls who will in turn be the diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds for our future.
Written by Adrian Six
This story originally appeared in Facing the Future Through the Voices of Teenage Girls, a publication of The Facing Project that was organized by Ivy Tech Community College and the Office of Mayor Pete Buttigieg in South Bend, Indiana.