What does encouragement look like across cultures? We learned about this while running a fitness program with a handful of young marginalized men that focused on ‘whole self’ wellness – body, mind, and spirit. We did this through skills-based workouts and also asking the attendees questions to prompt them to reflect on the good and hard of their lives. We would also share stories to challenge them to live a new kind of life that cuts across negative cultural norms in order to bring goodness to their lives and communities.
One evening, the story focused on encouragement. We were sharing with the group about how encouragement involved using words to ‘build up’ those around you by pointing out positive qualities and actions they saw in each other. Some of the young men shared that encouragement in their community looked like this: when someone approaches you with a challenge in their lives, you share with them an even harder challenge so that they will feel less bad about their own life!
We felt a bit discouraged, unsure if any of the lessons were actually making an impact, when one of the young men said, “why don’t we go around and share some positive encouragement to each other right now?” So we did just that – we went around and said something affirming to each person in the group. It was a powerful moment showing that the small seeds of holistic development were beginning to grow little by little.
