Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Hello, World.

Hello, to every kid, teen, and grown-up that has a past. My name is Sam and I am part of The Orphan's Collective. We are a group of kids from broken homes that ended up in residential placement, then decided to take the meaning of "family" into our own hands. We wrote the Orphan's Manifesto and will be checking in with you sometimes to see how you're all doing.

Right now, we are still at our camp at Lake Isabel. It's been rainy and cold there, but Dodger and Rishawn have figured out how to build a solid shelter for us. We had salmon for dinner last night and Mikayla patched up the canoe for more fishing this week. I ran down the mountain and back into the city to update our new blog from a library computer. This is how we will keep in touch with you, for now...

We know you have a story to tell. Have you read ours yet? Let us know what you thought and keep in touch. There is so much more to come...

ORPHAN’S MANIFESTO

To every kid that has ever felt like they were the only ones going
through it- we are here to let you know that you aren’t. We
know about your pain and know that hope exists to fight through
it. Look toward one another and give yourselves what we all missed
out on growing up. We are coming for you, and know that you
need help now. Keep these truths close to you until we can reach
you:

• You are worthy of love and kindness, especially when you
don’t believe that you are.
• Do your best to treat every person around you with grace
and kindness, because they all have their own stories they
are struggling to survive.
• You are responsible for, and capable of, defining your own
story.
• Use your pain to understand others around you, your anger
to empower each other, and your loneliness to create
belonging.
• Only surround yourself with people that will challenge you
in healthy ways and encourage you to be the best version of
yourself.

READ THE REST OF THE MANIFESTO HERE: www.sarahmendivel.com

This is Sam, signing off with our "OC" signature. Look for it around town and in the trees. Hang in there, warriors.
 

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