We are only 4 weeks away from the 7th annual #TL5K!
If you would like to donate or help by becoming a fundraiser, visit our #TL5K site!
Currently, I am facilitating two support groups at a high school alternative campus. I see students who have been kicked off their campus for one reason or another, and because it is a temporary campus, I never know how many weeks I will actually see a particular student. However, one of my favorite things is getting to celebrate with them when they finally go back to their “home” campus. After a student;s final group, I always tell them, “I hope I never see you again.”
And I mean that!
After those teenagers have left the alternative campus, I hope to never see them back in trouble or back in that classroom. (Now, I would love to see them around town or in a different context, but you get my point!)
As strange as it may seem, that is somewhat of a goal for Teen Lifeline Support Groups. Our job is to equip, encourage and empower these students to live life better and succeed outside of the group time. Maybe this means that they think about consequences before acting, surround themselves with better friends, deal with stress in a healthy way or find a trustworthy adult to confide in.
We love hearing stories of past students who have moved on, grown up and chosen to live life better. Austin O’Neal is one of these students, and his story hits close to home for me because I remember hearing it back in High School when we both participated in a Teen Lifeline Support Group.
Austin has chosen to live a different story and encourage others because of his own experiences. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to Austin’s story and how he is living out his “better life”!