This past Tuesday (June 30th), Anha, Leela, and I held our first Teen Awakin Call as a project for the ServiceSpace Internship. It was the most enlightening experiences of my life. And after just a week of preparation, the three of us managed to pull together this amazing Teen Awakin Call with our amazing special guest, Melissa Stephens.

I'm especially proud of our teamwork and how diligently everyone communicated with one another. I think the main reason why the call ran smoothly was because our chemistry as a team worked so well. I was definitely very nervous before the call and Anha and Leela kept reminding us that it will all work out perfectly and that we just needed to be present. They were so right.

The idea behind a Teen Awakin Call was to create a space similar to the Awakin Calls where we can ask questions to a guest and also open up a Q&A for listeners to participate. But we wanted to be able to ask questions that most especially applied to the teenage/young adult mind. Melissa was the perfect guest for this call. Her enthusiasm brought the entire call to life and a smile to every single face. As a teacher, mother, author, actress, etc. she handled every single question with a unique perspective that withheld so much wisdom.

This Teen Awakin Call was kind of the kick-starter for many more projects to come with the ServiceSpace Internship. Click here for a link to the audio recording from the call!





Below are some highlights from the call that we would love to share with you.

• Advice Melissa would've given her teenage self: “Don’t judge your journey”
• “Showing up for yourself” is already the start of change
• “Grow from where you are planted”
• “Hold the vision, trust the process”
• Melissa fills her classroom with every possible necessity to support her students and create a safe environment for them to thrive and grow into leaders
• Confidentiality in the classroom builds trust and allows guidance/ a ‘be there’ presence for students
• Be the person your teenage self needed.
• Your purpose can change, and they can all be connected
• Everything that's happened to you has lead you to the present
• Those who have done terrible also come from a place of pain
• “Serve from where you are” -- you don’t need to take on the whole entire world at once
  • The smallest acts have impact
• Trauma doesn’t define you/what you’re capable of
• Positivity comes from a place of growth. It’s okay not to be positive 100% of the time, especially in these trying times.
• As the young generation, speak your truth and hold your ground. Put your voice out there.
• Social media as a “double-edged sword”-- can be used for good and evil, recognize your voice and platform
• How to turn vulnerability into strengths!
• Don’t compare your traumas
  • Trauma doesn’t justify behavior, but it can explain it

(some screenshots from the call)


--Lena, on behalf of Anha and Leela, and the ServiceSpace Interns