Stop for a minute to think back to when you were a “youth” — say, when you were 19 years old — transitioning from adolescence into adulthood.
- Did you have ideals and ideas that motivated you and peers and adult mentors who positively influenced you?
- Did you have family who supported you and a community that you felt part of and in which you had a voice?
- Did you have a sense of who you were and access to physical and psychological safe spaces where you could express your identity?
If you answered yes, then you probably have a positive recollection of this period in your life. You were likely content with your trajectory into adulthood.