Comment by Harborough churches: We want young people to move out of the darkness and bloom with new-found confidence, hope and aspirations

Viewpoint by Ceriann Kelly, youth work manager at The Cube Youth Centre, which is linked to Churches Together in Harborough

As I am sitting in the office looking out of the window during this time of Lent I can see the daffodils start to bloom in the Cube garden, and I am reminded of the hope of spring. Even after the deep dark and cold depths of winter, new life finds a way to bloom once again.

Lent can be a time for many to deny themselves things that they like, as a reminder of the suffering of Jesus in the wilderness as we prepare for Easter. So that we can take time to reflect and experience a time of relative voluntary darkness so when Easter comes round we can rejoice in the new life that Jesus offers. It can also serve to help us to remember others who are going through dark times and prompt us to hold them in prayer or help where we can.

I feel this is rather poignant as we have so many young people who are struggling with darkness hanging over them. Many are experiencing heightened anxiety and depression, and are adjusting to post-Covid life. They worry about the situation in Ukraine more than we know. In the midst of suffering, it can be easy to forget that even the most terrible things are only temporary, that the dark days will pass. Even though it may feel as if winter will never end, we know there is hope, spring will come again. The sun will shine and the flowers will grow. There will be sunflowers, poppies and all the glorious colours of summer when the time comes. It does not change the fact that dark days happen, nor remove the sting of the cold, but hope gives us something to fight for, to hold onto, to live for.

Our hope for our young people is renewed as we slowly start to relaunch our wellbeing service with new counsellors being taken on and counselling starting to take place. This is alongside our regular groups both in and out of schools, which are growing in number. We can see the changes in our young people as they start to open up to us, trust us and slowly believe in themselves more. We can

see the hope and fire begin to light up in their eyes as they realise that sunnier times are on their way, they will not always be in the darkness of anxiety or depression.

So, we hold on to the hope of spring, as we hold our young people in our thoughts and prayers and as we rally around them and support them. We await the time when our young people will bloom in the sun with new-found confidence, hope and aspirations.

Ceriann Kelly is the youth work manager at The Cube Youth Centre, which is linked to Churches Together in Harborough