Chapel at Eckerd Connects E-Nini-Hassee gives the girls time to take from literature like the bible, Chicken Soup for the Soul, or even a beautiful song…to find a message about life, discuss it and share it with their fellow campers and Chiefs. It takes place out in our woods, under the canopies of trees, a celebration in nature. It is pictured in this newsletter. This time is inclusive of many faiths, a time to discuss hope and how it brings people together. It is how we pull from hope to give us strength to overcome our darkest times. There is research dedicated to the study of the adolescent mind and the role of spirituality in the development of a sense of self. This is a time of questioning, and it is helpful for the girls to pull from the words of others to help find meaning in the ways of the world. The American writer Laurie Halse Anderson says, “We have to acknowledge that adolescence is that time of transition where we begin to introduce to children that life isn't pretty, that there are difficult things, there are hard situations, it's not fair. Bad things happen to good people.” We can also introduce children to spirituality so that we give them tools to dig deep within themselves for resilience. In a study by Dr. Sian Cotton in the Journal of Adolescent Health, “The Impact of Adolescent Spirituality on Depressive Symptoms and Health Risk Behaviors,” it was concluded that “those (adolescents) with higher levels of spiritual well-being, in particular, existential well-being, had fewer depressive symptoms and fewer risk-taking behaviors.” Chapel can be a religious practice to those girls who would like to observe at that time, but it can also be about spirituality for those who do not practice religion. It is inclusive for everyone. Chapel time is about letting the girls take from the inspirational words of others to help make sense of their lives and who they are becoming.
-Raquel
