by Della Hughes

In The Cherokee Book of Days Joyce Sequichie Hifler writes: "Hope is our most constant companion. Like a cork on a net, hope keeps us from sinking in our own fears. It helps us picture the way things ought to be so we can bring them about. With [hope] the door is always open. Without it, even dreams tend to perish." In this article, Della Hughes writes about the importance of nurturing hope in order to keep our commitment to young people, to our communities, and to our mission.


Hope Is Reflected in Vision
What hopes do we have for our young people? It is not difficult to conjure up a powerful vision in response to this question. Vision is no more than a reflection of our hope.

We want capable youth, strong families, and responsible communities. We
want neighborhoods in which we know everyone and feel safe. We want everyone to be involved with community activities that improve all our lives. We want young people to contribute in meaningful ways to the development of their families, schools, and neighborhoods. We want adults to provide guidance, share knowledge and skills, encourage participation, and facilitate the development of young people. We want young people and adults to be, do, and learn together. We want to celebrate our unity and diversity. We want lots of green space for reflection and play. We want the quality of the air, water, and earth to be revered. We want to nourish our spirits, cherish our dreams, and honor our connectedness with all things.

Juxtapose this vision with what Becky said about why she ran away at the
age of 15:

I had a 50/50 chance to survive on the streets, but no chance at home.

At home her father and then her stepfather abused her. On the streets she stole food to eat and wrapped in plastic at night to stay warm. What was Becky's dream? What hope could she hold out for herself?

For Becky during her teens, her dream was to survive, to just make it from day to day. For too many young people a dream means "fantasy." They live in conditions daunting to most of us. They have never known what it means to be loved for themselves, or believed in when they make mistakes. They may be feared or live in fear. They are constantly criticized or taunted. Their talents are used for survival and to lash out in anger. They cannot envision living beyond the age of 18 or 21.

How, given their circumstances, can these young people ever feel safe or nurtured, much less engaged by and positively contributing to their communities?

Becky did develop a dream beyond survival. Because she had a safe place to go, adults she trusted, and opportunities to heal and grow, she dealt with her challenges head-on and created a new vision for her life. She graduated from college and is gainfully employed, is married, and has children.

What happened with Becky counts as a miracle to me. But it is not acceptable to require our young people to muster visions for themselves out of the ashes of their lives. We must create environments in which young people and families can be safe and thrive. This takes powerful, beautiful dreams that are created by families, neighborhoods, communities, and our society.

There is a Chinese proverb that reminds us that we'll never get anywhere if we don't know where we're going. So often we don't give our hope its fullest expression and content ourselves with what might make an aggravating or uncomfortable situation a little bit better-change a few rules here, add a little more money for this or a new program for that. The goal is to "see through the barriers," to seek what will command our attention and devotion. Hope that comes from the depths of our souls, that is fed and cultivated with care, blossoms forth into big, bold dreams, dreams unfettered by what is. Hope is about dreams rooted in deeply held beliefs that call us to create the future, not just meander our way into it.

What I have learned, what I know about myself, makes me feel so empowered. I know I can do anything.

What a marvelous declaration of self-confidence! José came off the streets when he was 16, having been thrown out of the house by his parents. He entered a transitional living program for homeless youth where he finished high school, got a job, and, as importantly, began a healing process. He is now a junior at
the University of Texas, making above average grades, and is active in campus activities while holding down two part-time jobs. He is gradually re-establishing his relationship with his parents.

José's self-confidence is directly tied to his hope for himself. He grabbed hold of the thin thread of hope to hold his life together when he was on the streets. What he has now is a solid support network that has helped transform that thin thread to many strong cords. José's mistrust, fear of abandonment, and self-loathing may emerge again, but he now has a larger frame in which to live his life. He knows what he has endured, that he cannot only survive but also triumph. Despite a profound rupture in his relationship with his parents, he knows he is connected to others, and has gifts to offer them.

"Hope is. . . not the conviction that things will turn out well, but the conviction that something makes sense (to do), regardless of how it turns out."

-Václav Havel from Disturbing the Peace

Hope Is Demonstrated in Action
In a speech to the United Nations in 1958, Eleanor Roosevelt said:

Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home-so close and so small they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the
larger world.

Maintaining this bold vision for the future is meaningless if we dare not create it. To be genuine about our intent to work toward a safe, just, and compassionate society means challenging existing norms, attitudes, laws, and assumptions. It means having the courage to live with the tension of present realities, while never backing down on what we seek.

We are challenged daily by forces in our society that run counter to our vision. We are asked to "fix problems" of "the less fortunate." We are required to deal with one dimension of our needs as though there were no other influences or connections. We are obliged to operate programs with standards that encourage privilege and elitism in the name of quality and accountability. We are expected to prove our value and success by measurement methods devised for economic rather than human development purposes. We know that to succeed in our professions and earn a decent income we must become increasingly specialized and credentialed, often at the expense of doing our work well.

It can be frightening to actualize our dreams in the face of such barriers. Audre Lorde reminds us:

When I dare to be powerful-to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.

Action in pursuit of our vision is critical to demonstrate to young people that we indeed care. Our credibility is at stake. The task is to be clear about our beliefs and embrace the contradictions, to acknowledge that the struggle is part of the work.

What is helpful for me to remember when I feel overwhelmed is that every small step contributes to the overall effort. If I can live out my beliefs at home, in my workplace, in my neighborhood, then I am staying true, acting with integrity. I also look for leverage points to make small actions have larger impact. And finally, I look for people who have the same commitment to the vision-who are carriers of hope. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, unless we live out our vision in "small places, close to home," what we do has little meaning.

"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity."

-Keshaven Nair

Hope Is Grounded in Spirituality
Taking action on a bold and challenging vision, keeping the vision as boundless as it can be, being there for young people on a day-to-day basis means nurturing our hope regularly. While we can survive with a "thin thread" of hope, to live fully, to be deeply engaged in life, means having reserves of hope, hope that we can freely share.

If Becky and José can have hope, then I can have hope. If I am serious about the quest for attaining my vision, I must place high value on keeping hope. When I am hopeful my attitude opens up, I am able to see others' strengths more clearly. I can get out of myself and be more present for others. I can face the contradictions with greater tenacity. I can speak my heart with more force.

This process of nurturing hope is quite amazing; once I get into a routine and regularly feed my soul, the effects are magnified. I find myself becoming more of who I want to be-the very act of cultivating my hope makes me more open to others, more compassionate, more perceptive about what is happening around me, more able to take risks and stay committed.

Stephen Covey makes this point in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People when he talks about the importance of making a paradigm shift in order to be more effective in relating to other people:

Being is seeing in the human dimension. And what we see is highly interrelated to what we are. We can't go very far to change our seeing without simultaneously changing our being, and vice versa. If we see, visually, cognitively, and intuitively, the possibilities, we can live the possibilities. If we live the possibilities, we can see the possibilities.

So, how does hope get nourished? Sustained, deeply rooted hope is fundamentally the product of spiritual practice. By spiritual practice, I am not referring to religious practice-although it is possible that they can be one and the same. Spiritual practices are those activities and processes in which one engages to reflect on life, meaning, and connectedness, and to bring oneself in alignment with the greater whole. Some people, like Mahatma Gandhi, are examples of spiritual practice made fully a part of their daily living. His beliefs and life were so congruent, they could be clearly seen by all; his life was a constant meditation.

Stephen C. Paul , in Inneractions: Visions to Bring Your Inner and Outer Worlds into Harmony, describes this phenomenon:

Your daily affairs are the sacred ceremonies you perform within the temple of your life.

When we take time to engage in those "sacred ceremonies," to be silent, reflect, take in the thoughts of others (through reading or listening), soak in the wonders of the universe, we give ourselves the space to free up the best parts of ourselves. We allow our spirits to soar, our hearts to sing. We also create room for grief to work its way through us without being destructive. We can clear away the rubbish that builds up from overexposure to toxic language, images, and actions. In fact, we can strengthen our insight and intuition through reflection.

Spirituality is not just an individual matter to be attended to privately. Spiritual development is by its essence a collective venture, as well. Again, not religion or dogma, but spiritual practice is critical to assist young people to develop a sense of belonging, interdependence, generosity, independence, and mastery. Hope feeds their confidence and connectedness; it infuses their belief systems, supporting their willingness to invest in the family, neighborhood, community, society. With a profound sense of attachment it becomes harder to make destructive choices and easier to cling to life even in very difficult circumstances. In this way, spirituality can be the catalyst for transforming the "thin threads" to "strong cords" of hope.

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."

-Emily Dickinson

Spiritual development can happen in classrooms and youth programs, in crisis shelters and community centers. Activities or processes that are intentionally designed to give participants (youth and adults) the opportunity to reflect and explore issues of importance (like racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty) on a deep level-learn more about connection and wholeness, be inspired, and experience joy-have the potential to nurture the spirit. Even better is when the activities and processes are an integral part of the whole fabric of the program, time is taken to identify their purpose, and participants continue these practices in other parts of their lives.

Doug McCoard, executive director of Huckleberry House in Columbus, Ohio, told this story recently.

"Huck" House has ten rules by which everyone must abide. The first rule is: "never give up." This powerful statement of hope is an expression of their confidence that every young person, regardless of their circumstances, can make a successful transition to adulthood. The second rule is: "never give up." A little reinforcing of the message doesn't hurt. The third rule is: "never give up." You can guess what the other seven rules are. The board, staff and volunteers are fully committed to their vision. They have created a mantra that is repeated often to keep the staff individually and collectively inspired when the going gets tough. They convey to the young people participating in the programs that they are important enough that they'll stay with them no matter what.

Our commitment to young people and to our vision demands that we keep hope alive. If Becky and José can do it then so can I. Our task is to nurture our hope, keep the dream alive, to believe in the beauty of our dreams-so that young people can be safe and lead healthy and productive lives. At times, we may feel burned out, frustrated, and cynical, but if we don't have hope, then they won't have hope. They will dangle by threads instead of being supported by a strong web.

This vision is large-the mission, challenging. It requires making significant change for the benefit of young people, families, and communities. To stay committed to such a vision, such important life work, we must have hope fueled by courage and compassion. We must also take small steps to achieve the larger victory. We must find ways to be clear about where we are going and what we are doing, to optimize our resources, to have confidence in ourselves and each other. We must ensure that we nurture our own hope and create opportunities for others to do so, as well.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

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