By: Melissa Migueis
One night, in early June, Connie eagerly sent me a rough draft of her newest creation: An Online Lifestyle. She had created programs that catered to various ages and many interests in order to help others during the difficult times of COVID-19. However, she was still trying to hone in on a program that would attract, help and inspire teenagers.
In less than half an hour, we came up with “Writing & Blogging,” a 6-week online workshop that would offer teens an outlet to express their thoughts and ideas in a safe and comfortable space.
In a short 3 months, that initial seed blossomed into what we know today as BlogAdo. From concept to delivery, we created a blog for teens to find comfort, connection and inspiration. Our movement is from teens to teens.
As someone who wasn’t a teenager all that long ago, I know how difficult it can be. Teenage years are full of change, growth, triumphs and tribulations. There’s a lot of good, but also some bad – and working through all those emotions can be difficult and confusing. Personally, I would’ve loved to have a program like this one to support me through my teen years. That’s why I am so honoured to lead this workshop.
While creating and designing the blog, teaching different writing techniques and offering my feedback on student work has been fun, connecting with each of the teens has been my true “why” in all of this.
With every new conversation, these teens continue to inspire and amaze me. Throughout the weeks, as I read their more personal work, I noticed that some of their challenges resembled my own as a teen. And, as a result of having gone through similar experiences, I was able to connect with them in a deeper way and offer them advice.
At times, it felt as though I was speaking to my younger self. As a young teen, I always longed for someone outside my family who I can speak to. So, I feel really humbled that I was able to be that for some of the teens in this program.
It’s also been amazing to see their faces glow with genuine happiness, excitement and pride when their blog posts were published!
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Three months ago, I had a vision to create a blog that would unite teens, and thanks to all 9 of the teens that were apart of our first ever session, that vision has come to life!
This first group of the “Writing & Blogging” program has created the foundation for what is to come with BlogAdo. Let’s share our message and our mission with every teen we know and take it international – because every teen needs to be heard and every teen needs to feel like they are not alone!