JESTINE: Hello! And welcome to Growing Up Powerful, the bonus episode!

I’m Jestine, your co-host on the Rebel Girls Growing Up Powerful series. And I’m here with Beth Lucas, beloved middle school counselor, member of the Countywide Crisis Team and the Professional School Counselors of
Howard County, plus a Rainbow Representative and awesome crafter. We’re going to chat about COMMUNITY.

Hi there! Can you tell us a little about yourself please?

Beth: Hi, I’m Beth Lucas. I am a school counselor in a suburb of Washington in Maryland.

JESTINE: Thanks Beth. And how would you define the word community?

BETH: I think community is a group of people who have something in common that could be interests, goals, values, uh, proximity. It really could be anything as long as they have something in common.

JESTINE: Yeah. I like that, something in common. And do you think we have to be part of a community?

BETH: Well, I do not feel like as human beings, we’re wired to do life in isolation. So being a part of a community allows us to work together, help each other feel connected, feel safe, validated, worth, and find value in what we do every day. (01:31): Being a part of a community also allows you to be in contact with people that you might not ordinarily interact with, which could result in new friendships or relationships that help you to learn new things.

JESTINE: Nice. Where would you say you personally find community?

BETH: I find community in many different places. Certainly my house, I mean, my husband and my daughter are small community and then extended family on both sides. Uh, the neighborhood that we live in, which is a big one. And it’s probably one of the best communities that I have, uh, work certainly, and that there’s different communities within a school building. And then maybe community groups or parent groups, uh, that I’ve become involved in through my daughter’s school. Some of those very unexpectedly, but some really cool experiences. Uh, certainly church for me, but that could be any, you know, religious or spiritual organization that you might come into contact with.
JESTINE: Hello! And welcome to Growing Up Powerful, the bonus episode!

I’m Jestine, your co-host on the Rebel Girls Growing Up Powerful series. And I’m here with Beth Lucas, beloved middle school counselor, member of the Countywide Crisis Team and the Professional School Counselors of
Howard County, plus a Rainbow Representative and awesome crafter. We’re going to chat about COMMUNITY.

Hi there! Can you tell us a little about yourself please?Beth: Hi, I’m Beth Lucas. I am a school counselor in a suburb of Washington in Maryland.

JESTINE: Thanks Beth. And how would you define the word community?

BETH: I think community is a group of people who have something in common that could be interests, goals, values, uh, proximity. It really could be anything as long as they have something in common.

JESTINE: Yeah. I like that, something in common. And do you think we have to be part of a community?

BETH: Well, I do not feel like as human beings, we’re wired to do life in isolation. So being a part of a community allows us to work together, help each other feel connected, feel safe, validated, worth, and find value in what we do every day. (01:31): Being a part of a community also allows you to be in contact with people that you might not ordinarily interact with, which could result in new friendships or relationships that help you to learn new things.

JESTINE: Nice. Where would you say you personally find community?

BETH: I find community in many different places. Certainly my house, I mean, my husband and my daughter are small community and then extended family on both sides. Uh, the neighborhood that we live in, which is a big one. And it’s probably one of the best communities that I have, uh, work certainly, and that there’s different communities within a school building. The ladies that I work with in my office, uh, groups that I work throughout the school, communities that involve kids, the community that our school is based in, parents, I mean, it, it could go on. And then maybe community groups or parent groups, uh, that I’ve become involved in through my daughter’s school. Some of those very unexpectedly, but some really cool experiences. Uh, certainly church for me, but that could be any, you know, religious or spiritual organization that you might come into contact with.

JESTINE: Ooh I love that. And, maybe can you tell us about a tradition or recurring event that you enjoy with your community?

BETH: Okay. <laugh>. All right. Okay. One of my favorite traditions that happens in my neighborhood, um, is our Memorial Day and Labor Day block parties. And this has been something that’s going on for 20 years since we moved into the neighborhood, and it’s a way to celebrate the beginning of summer and then at Labor Day, the end of the summer, and then all the things that happen in between. And it’s been neat to watch it evolve over the years. 20 years ago, many of us did not have children and the party looked a little bit different. It went much later into the evening. We weren’t chasing kids around. And now it is something that ends much earlier. We’ve chased kids all through the years. We’ve watched them play with one another, kids of all ages, uh, playing something they call manhunt, which is like hide and seek in the dark, where the little, the little kids are chaperoned by the big kids and made to feel part of something that they’ve always kind of wanted to do to now many of the kids have grown up and moved away and have their own jobs and own lives.
And the kids that are left behind now think it’s cool to sit with the parents and talk. And the games have evolved from manhunt to now. Cornhole can jam sometimes cards if it’s raining and we have to be inside. But the one thing that always stays the same is that feeling of community and even really family, family beyond the one that I live with in my house, but the one that’s created by the people that are around me in my neighborhood, people that I know I could count on no matter what, even in the middle of the night. And it’s been, I think, a good example, not only for my own daughter, but for other kids in the neighborhood of how family is something you can choose. And community is something that you can create.

JESTINE: That’s a great point. How would you say we can create our own communities?
BETH: One of the ways that you could start your own community would be to come up with an idea that you have, or a shared idea, maybe with a friend or two, and decide what your goal is. If your goal is to raise money, maybe you pass out flyers with parent permission to explain your cause and your goal. And that way you easily involve other members of the community. Other ideas might be to start something in your school with that friend or two coming up with your idea, talking to a teacher or a staff member to let them know what you’d like to do, how you’d like to include others, and then go from there.

JESTINE: Ooh, yeah. Like a school club or something.

BETH: One example of a club that has, uh, kind of come to life this year and our school is called the Pride Club and the county in which our school is mandates that all schools have a club and a safe space for lgbtqia plus kids. So we knew we had to have one, but it was very important to us that it be student led and that the ideas for what we were going to do would come from the students definitely wanted it to be four kids by kids. And the messages that we’re putting out and the activities that we would do needed to be something that our members were invested in and that our community would see value in. And so it’s been a great way for me as an adult to create a community with kids and kids who are definitely different from how I was as a kid, but kids who have been able to teach me and the other adults that work with them. Just amazing lessons on perseverance and inclusion. And they’ve really given us a lot of hope looking towards the future as these are gonna be some of our kids that are definitely going to be leaders in our community.

JESTINE: That’s really inspiring. I love that you’ve let the kids lead the way and that really anyone can create community. Beth, thank you so much for talking to us about this and giving us some great ideas for making our own communities!

BETH: Thanks so much for including me.
JESTINE: And thank YOU Rebels, for tuning in to this Growing Up Powerful Bonus episode! You’re the best community we could hope for! Until next time…stay rebel!

CREDITS:
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls.

This episode was narrated by ME! Imani Parks as Jestine, with special guest Beth Lucas. It was produced and directed by Deborah Goldstein, with Joy Smith and Haley Dapkus. Sound design and mixing by Mumble Media. It was written and edited by Abby Sher. Our executive producers are Jes Wolfe and Joy Smith.

Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi.

A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible!

Until next time, staaaay rebel!

If you like what you heard here and want to learn more, check out the newest book from Rebel Girls! Growing Up Powerful: A Guide to keeping confident when your body is changing, your mind is racing, and the world is…complicated. With stories from rebels all over the world and guidance from some brilliant experts, this book is our newest bff. Order your copy of Growing up Powerful today on Amazon or anywhere you purchase books!