Stories & Voices
Ideas to Help Teens Build Resilience
March 18th, 2020

For teens in the time of the coronavirus outbreak, anxiety raises many questions. Will I graduate on time? Will this affect my college scholarship? Will the prom be cancelled? How do I stay at home with a critical parent or difficult siblings? And the list goes on.

Pam Schuller, director of Here.Now., offers insights into how teens can navigate this uncharted territory – based on teens’ own responses. Here. Now., a teen mental health initiative, is a program of our partner The Jewish Board.

In times of trouble, it’s especially time to “think out of the box,” Pam suggests during a recent online talk. And she adds, “It’s also a time when acting silly and having fun, online, is important to help build resilience in teens.”

Some ideas teens suggest are below and you can see a more complete list here.

  • Mundane Awards Ceremony that highlights the most mundane thing a teen did during the day
  • Virtual lunchroom where teens join a video chat and eat together
  • Teach Your Talent to a parent or sibling – yoga, juggling, knitting, playing a ukulele, whatever it may be — share it!
  • Online Board Games to play one-on-one with a friend
  • Viewing Party where teens watch the same TV show or movie together and then during commercial breaks or after the show give their favorite lines or reviews
  • Karoke Night on Zoom
  • Open Mic on Zoom

It’s all part of staying in touch with each other that’s safe, creates community, and brings some laughs into a teen’s world during these uncertain times.

To learn more about Here.Now., contact Pam Schuller at pschuller @jbfcs.org.