Basecamp for Men E25: Championing Our Youth with

Special Guest Melissa Lowenstein

E25 Introduction

How do we help our youth thrive in today’s world? I won’t pretend that I know or have the answers. But I‘m more than willing to sit with the question.  And I love to get the perspectives of others as we seek resources and new approaches to growing our young people up. It does truly take a village and, thankfully, our village has collective wisdom.

I have long thought that getting a better communication platform for our youth is important. Getting young people accustomed to group dynamics seems to me like a ramp to better emotional intelligence and inner awareness. This could have a hugely positive impact on our youth.

Kids are often told what to do and how to do it. What seems to be missing is a place where they can honestly express their inner lives-their hopes and fears, their challenges and struggles, the sense of isolation that so many young people feel and to do so in a way that is not judging or shaming the person.

I‘m excited to talk to my guest today as she is out on the edge, creating this sort of platform.

Melissa Lowenstein Bio

Melissa Lowenstein is a writer and editor, parent educator, and group facilitator. Since 2011, she has worked for AHA!, a nonprofit organization that brings social-emotional learning, creativity, and character-building to in-school and after-school programs that serve 2500 youth and educators per year. Melissa has contributed to, ghostwritten, and co-authored over 25 books on topics including health, parenting, education, and spirituality.

E25 Final Thoughts

I love all the insights that Melissa provided us. An important takeaway for me is to be mindful of how much advice and coaching that you are giving your young person. Adults can have this as a default approach, (I know I’ve been guilty of this from time to time) but it leads to our teens tuning us out, and for good reason.

And lastly, Melissa mentioned an interesting resource in Josh Shipp, the teen whisperer. He sounds really interesting. If you have a teen at home, go check him out. I’m going to.

That’s it for today. Thank you listeners and we’ll see you next week.