CARE: Be Connected

         

Being connected to an individual is a very daunting task to have involvement in. For real connections cannot appear overnight, well at least the connections that are utterly true in all regards to the definition of self truth. Real connections that last will take almost as long to build as they will last, holding so much trust in a person that you may trust them more than yourself. Therefore, connections are patient and to be connected to others, patients will be a major player in deciding how to approach that individual and through what ways to build a connection to that specific individual. Another large contributor to building connections and being able to connect to others has to revolve around ideas that respect must be implemented. If nobody is able to offer you respect for your contribution and intelligence, whatever one deems as their intelligence, whether that be writing or reading even sports, there is no way that you could form a connection with that institution or individual. An example of these ideas would have to be my father, as he respects my abilities and geniuses but I also have spent numerous years building a connection, being patient with each other, he lets me express my own opinions and I trust this man with all of my heart. Being connected is more than simply having contacts on my phone or friends added to snapchat, being connected is about connecting to the truth within yourself and then to the truth within others.

-Logan Ames

Being connected to me is not about being popular. It's about finding unfamiliar people and making lifelong acquaintances. I'm the one to choose a few good friends over many strangers who I don't know anything about. It’s more than being just. It’s about being who you are, not who the world wants you to be. We are here, at this exact moment, at this exact situation that we are in to overcome our obstacles, to be who we want to be and go where we want to go. Not only because that’s what we want but also because that’s what being connected means at crossroads.

Each and every individual at crossroads at one point or another wanted to be something that the outside world told us we couldn’t do. Many of us know what the hurt of being shut down by the closest friends and family feels like. That’s why we are different here. Crossroads is not a place of dreams. It’s a place of goals that our peers and staff are more than willing to support and encourage each and everyone to make and or go out and do what it takes to be who it is we want to be. We are all connected even if we don’t all know one another because at any moment you can ask advice or help from any one of our peers and be greeted with generosity about it.  We all have ups, downs, and life changing turn arounds, but the students we are connected to will always have time to help or support you. And it's the time we all share and embrace together that will be a life long lasting memory that truly, connects us all.

-Dakota Daily

Being connected means your apart of something, a family, a group, or even a school. Your roll in it is important, even if you don’t feel like it in the moment. You can be connected by taking action when you see something bad happening, like someone getting bullied. Even just complimenting someone when you notice there not having such a good day. Being connected is having the ability to be yourself because your comfortable with the people you surround yourself with. Not everyone is good at incorporating connectivity into their lives, maybe they don't have a secure friend group, or maybe they have troubles with trusting people. You never know what someone has went through or is going through in that moment, so being nice instead of discouraging them for not being so involved shows how you’re connected to your environment and the people in it. It's hard for teens nowadays to feel real connections with friends or people at school because their life revolves around how others perceive them, in real life or over the internet. It's hard to show your true colors when you feel your always being judged for it. But being connected is so much more than snapchat or how many friends you have, it's about your capability to interact and have healthy relationships with people from different backgrounds (religion, ethnicity, the hardships they have faced throughout life).

-Brooklyn Bogart