In our efforts to care for the environment, it is easy to forget one important part of creation: ourselves. Caring for our common home also means caring for our minds, our emotions, our health and connection with peaceful environments.
Young people today face many pressures. Academic demands, family expectations, financial challenges, social media, uncertainty about the future they are working for in school, and concerns about climate change can sometimes leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, lonely, or exhausted. These experiences are real, and acknowledging them is not a sign of weakness.
Mental health matters.
A healthy mind gives us the strength to learn, create, serve, learn to self care, build bonds that have strong support systems, and respond positively to the challenges around us. When we take time to rest, talk to someone we trust, spend time in nature, pray, create, exercise, or simply pause and breathe, we give ourselves space to recover and grow.
This is also where the message of Laudato Si’ speaks deeply to our lives. Integral ecology reminds us that everything is connected. The health of our environment is connected to the health of our communities and to our own well-being. A polluted environment, broken relationships, loneliness, and a lack of care can all affect the way we experience life.
For Laudato Youth, caring for creation can therefore include caring for one another. A simple conversation with a friend, listening without judgement, creating a safe space in a Laudato Si’ Club, or encouraging someone who is struggling in the club can make a meaningful difference.
We all need to learn that asking for help is righteous and courageous of course from the people we trust and are open with. As teachers our students look on to us for hope and we took are so much encouraged by them courage and hard work. Walking with students in my club has helped me realised we build family but caring for God’s children and giving them a listening ear.
I always encourage my students to be open when emotional struggles become difficult to manage, they can speaking with a trusted adult, counsellor, health professional, faith leader, or another qualified person can be an important step towards healing.
Its then that our communities become places where young people feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. We cannot ask young people to care for the world while ignoring what is happening within them. As teacher I have witnessed first hand how mental health for youth is very important.
I always tell students in my club that as we continue our journey of ecological action, we should always remember that caring for our common home begins with a culture of care, care for the earth, care for others, and care for ourselves.
A healthier world needs healthier people. And sometimes, changing the world begins with something as simple as asking someone, “How are you really doing?”
Immaculate Kisembo
LYI Programs Manager
