A hope filled future?
August 29, 2019 |
Ominous climate change threatens human welfare. Racism, rooted in our nation’s original sin, seems to be worsening. And rather than safe havens, college campuses too often are sites of sexual and gender-based violence.So should we be surprised to learn that, in 2018, 53.1% of college students reported feeling “hopeless” and 85.5% “overwhelmed” at some point within the previous year?
And yet. When the Society of Jesus released its Universal Apostolic Preferences—four strategic areas of emphasis for the next decade—it called out Xavier and all the other Jesuit universities to “accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.”
Really? On many days, that charge seems impossibly difficult to me.
Sure: we can study our shameful pasts, offer support to the victimized, and try to do our part. Important work.
But does it instill hope?
Enter Club Day this week. On a beautiful day, hundreds of students browsed dozens of ways to explore the world, enjoy its gifts, and together to make it better.
A welcome reminder of what hope feels like.
David Mengel
