As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, many experts are raising concern over the mental health of children and youth around the world. Many parents and guardians report their children feeling extreme depression, isolation, and apathy as the pandemic forced them to stay home and lose physical access to school, friends, and extracurricular activities.
As a response to this concern, we continue to support young people by coming alongside them in pivotal moments and committing to living life together with them, all while pointing back to the hope of Christ. Our YFC chapter in Northern Indiana, has gone above and beyond in their mission to create meaningful relationships with their “We Believe in You(th)” campaign. This campaign was first created in 2020 with the goal to inspire confidence in the young people in the area. Parents, teachers, guardians, and rest of the community hung up signs and banners all throughout the Fort Wayne area with the message “We Believe in You(th).”
Local Executive Director of YFC Northern Indiana, Chris Todia said, “Last year, YFC Northern Indiana launched a one-week, all out campaign for the young people of this region and that campaign turned into a movement! We were blown away by how the community responded and what God did. We had thousands of people engage in this, with over 1,400 people donating over $500,000 to the young people of this area.
“We had everyone from teachers posting videos with the message of ‘We believe in you,’ to parents sitting down with their kids and telling them just why they believe in them, to churches and businesses putting up yard signs spreading this message—it was just incredible to witness. The week was capped off by video messages the youth sent back to us, thanking us for believing in them.”
After such a success from last year, YFC Northern Indiana has re-launched the campaign from November 15 to 19. Chris Todia and the rest of the YFC Northern Indiana team hope this will remain an annual campaign, and even spread nationally.
The overarching message is simple. We believe in youth.