Over a year after the first closures began, the pandemic continues on. No doubt we are all tired of hearing about it, speaking about it, and learning about it, but there’s no real way around it. As of Friday, May 7th, 2021, the most severe restrictions on Portland will be eased, but we are still far from “normalcy”. Portland Public Schools have only recently begun to reopen their doors to in-person learning under hybrid models. Many indoor activities including dining, shopping, going to the movies, and going to the gym, remain restricted for public health concerns. Masking and social distancing remain important health measures for us to take in our daily lives.

However, with free vaccines now available to all Oregonians, and in fact all Americans, over the age of 16, a light is forming at the end of the tunnel. Governor Brown has stated that most, if not all, restrictions should be ready to be lifted by June as long as vaccines continue to be given at a steady pace.^[1] (Go get your shots if you haven’t already!)

Unfortunately, not even a vaccinated populace and easing of restrictions will magically undo the impacts of this past year’s isolation and loss of life. Many Portland youth, especially in communities of color, are grieving the loss of loved ones. Because of necessary restrictions, they have also been grieving in greater isolation and without access to services they may have relied on in past years, like in person visits with school counselors. Many may have also fallen behind in school over the past year, as students struggled with access to reliable internet, computers, and quiet places to study and do their schoolwork. And even under the best conditions, many students have found it difficult to concentrate on their learning in online school, as screens can be much harder to regularly engage with than a teacher physically with you in the classroom.

The pandemic has also temporarily taken  away a lot of the enrichment and activities that youth would normally have had in their day-to-day lives. Visits to the public library to browse books or use a free computer, ballet classes or karate, hanging out with friends at the mall, have all been limited or completely restricted for a whole year! The impact COVID-19 has had on all of us, and especially young people, cannot be overstated.

Because of this, it is more important than ever to reach out and offer support to each other and to our youth. Many of us will need help catching up, whether that be with school, work, life, or even ourselves and our own emotions. Now more than ever, adolescents will need people to talk to about their lives and recent events. They will need us to be there for them as they catch up in school and as they grieve. Many youth also involved themselves in fights for justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year, and they will need our support as they continue to advocate for themselves and each other.

This year presents great challenges and great opportunities. We hope our virtual meetings have been assets throughout the past year, and we hope our growing and returning in-person meetings will be as well. Let us all be kinder and more patient with one another this year.

As always, please reach out if you would like to get involved in our organization. We are here for the community, and with every community member that joins, our value and abilities grow.

-Community Chest

^[1] Reopening Multnomah County amid COVID-19. (2020, May 13). Multnomah County. https://multco.us/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/reopening-multnomah-county-amid-covid-19