Youth Development: A Double Rainbow (all the way across the sky)

Do you know what I think are really beautiful? Rainbows.

Yeah, that’s right, rainbows. Not that I should have to defend my masculinity by explaining exactly why I find them to be so, but, for the sake of clarity, I will oblige all those who might find themselves giggling at such a seemingly silly statement.

First and foremost, if you’ve ever seen a rainbow, you would undoubtedly have to agree that they are quite a sight to be seen. I mean, just look at them - it’s a circular band of happiness and colour - they’re so intense and vivid! The sight of one can bring a full-grown man to tears and prompt him to ask, “what does this mean?”

Scientifically speaking, they are also quite a wonder. To quote the all-knowing Wikipedia, “white light separates into different colours on entering the raindrop because red light is refracted by a lesser angle than blue light. On leaving the raindrop, the red rays have turned through a smaller angle than the blue rays, producing a rainbow.” Intriguing. Observe:

Although the science is interesting, that’s not really what attracts us to rainbows is it? No, it’s the initial impression we get when we see it. It’s the wonder; the striking beauty that we can’t put into words.

The world of positive youth development has been a similar experience for me. The initial impression: wonderful. “Look at all the amazing things that can happen when we invest in youth, when we give them the tools and confidence to lead,” I would think, awestruck by all the inspiring things I’ve seen and experienced during my time at Motivate Canada.

But, as with all things, eventually we begin to take such things for granted. Eventually, when we’ve grown accustomed to something, we are no longer satisfied with just observing, and so must try to understand. We become disenchanted. We must press further and further, poke and prod in the vain hope that we might feel the way we once did.

After my first summer as an intern with Motivate Canada, I fell back into my university routine and continued to work with other organizations in the youth development area. After all, there were plenty of opportunities, right in my front yard - Ottawa. After a while though, I began to forget why I was interested in the area in the first place. I started over-thinking things, trying to find new reasons to be passionate about projects and initiatives that, quite frankly, I wasn’t passionate about.

I was determined though - determined to get out of the slump I found myself in. I was sure that if I pushed hard enough that I would break through and find something even more wonderful on the other side. To put it another way, I became obsessed with finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I had become so used to working in youth development, that I tried to find something deeper to it, something more.

You know what the funny thing is though? There’s no such thing as the end of a rainbow. But you already knew that didn’t you? Turns out rainbows don’t even exist any one place in the sky - it’s just light after all. Really, it’s all just a matter of point of view; depending on where you’re standing, the rainbow appears in different ways, or isn’t there at all. So, I wasn’t in a “slump”. I was changing, growing: my mind was simply in a different place. But all the time the rainbow was still there somewhere, as beautiful as ever - I was just standing somewhere different.

Three days after writing my final exam at university I returned to Motivate Canada for my second summer internship. As with the previous year, things got busy fast. The ACTIVATE National Leadership Conference, the Youth Social Infrastructure Gathering, a staff retreat, all of it amazing.

And it was just what I needed - no time to over-think, no time to fall victim to doubt. I just experienced it all, let it all in. I let go of my anxiousness and relinquished control.

And gradually it all came back to me: how youth development can act like a double-edged sword, helping not only the youth for which the programs are created but also developing those youth or adults that organize and implement the programs, often in profound ways. Or how amazing the staff behind youth development organizations can be. Sometimes it seems they almost need to be double-jointed to accomplish what they do, but they always get the job done.

So, if you once saw something as stunning as a rainbow but became disenchanted, don’t stress out about trying to find a way to feel that beauty again. Just do what feels right to you and if it’s something that’s special to you, with time it will come back more magnificent than ever.

I had found my rainbow again, but this time there was something extra. All that I had learned and experienced in the interim made the rainbow that much more intense. Another layer of experience, an extra band of colours: a double rainbow.

That’s so intense.

Posted by Zach Hayes