Dear Clubhouse Community,
The heavy weight of injustice bears down on us this week, as the United States – and the world -- grapple with the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless others over the years, many of whose names we may never know. Our anger and pain are palpable as we recognize that these murders were not committed in isolation, but rather are part of a system of racism and inequality that impacts all of us, including our young people.
We say it now, unequivocally: Black Lives Matter.
We are a large and diverse network, yet one thing remains true across all of our communities, and that is our commitment to young people. As an organization, we stand committed to fighting systemic racism and inequity so that all youth are safe and have opportunity. We stand committed to supporting youth to navigate the emotion and trauma inflicted upon them by these inequities. We also stand committed to becoming better change-makers and allies, acknowledging that the work towards social justice is continuous, and we can learn from the thought leaders and activists who have dedicated their lives to this work, as well as from each other.
Finally, we stand committed to you –our Clubhouse colleagues – who may be grappling with your own emotions at this time, as are we. A community supports each other in times of need; we stand in solidarity with you as we fight injustice and build supportive, brave spaces together.
Supporting youth in the wake of trauma is challenging work. We’ve listed some resources below that can help guide interactions with members and support your own self-care. These resources may be helpful to mentors as well as Clubhouse staff:
Please feel free to share other resources in Clubhouse Connect, as we continue to learn from and support each other. Our communities deserve nothing less than our full commitment to equity and justice for all.
#NetworkNews