I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the keynote speaker for a retreat of phenomenal high school men today. The all-boys Jesuit school hosted this offsite retreat with the goals to provide a space for conversation and understanding, and to empower students to discern how they can bring their learning back to campus. Like many schools (and organizations) across the nation, they had been experiencing race-related issues on their campus. This retreat was an active step to bridge the divide among students and develop leaders who could help foster opportunities for connection among their peers.
After sharing my story with the students, I focused my energy on them. I wanted them to know the value of their presence at the retreat. I wanted them to know that they had incredible power to do more than just good, but do great things to leave this world better than they found it. I wanted them to know that our world needs them.
I was so moved by the questions they asked, their openness to share their stories, and their engagement overall. Having worked in education for more than 15 years, I had observed a good share of student posturing. Often in diversity-related conversations, students posture by keeping the conversation intellectual and do not always talk about their personal experiences or share their diversity stories. They act like they know it all because they read about it, but are not willing to engage more deeply in the self-work it takes to “be” about it. This group was different. There was a willingness among these young men to be vulnerable, which is hard for anyone to do, not to mention high school students. This group was willing to “be” about it. And from my perspective, it was a privilege not only to observe them doing the work, but to be part of the experience.
There are times in my life when I know that I am supposed to be in a certain place, at a certain time. This retreat was one of those times. I needed to experience the vulnerability of these young men as much as they needed me to help facilitate the space.