Having three high school students who lived through the pandemic, this story hits close to home. So many of our teens are struggling. They feel lost and disconnected, trying to figure out how to grow up in a way no generation has ever had. Parents have to show up in ways that they never dreamed of. It is daunting from every angle. So when someone comes to stand in the gap to support, teach, and help, it is like a gift from God.
Amy Mays is one of those people. This "teenager whisperer" has spent her life investing, empowering, and loving on teens. She is a rare bird who admits her favorite humans are teenagers.
With a background in counseling and years of youth and teen ministry, she understands that teenagers long for a way to come together and work through their complicated feelings. She’s committed to giving them space to deal with all the pressures life throws their way. And that is how The Happy Crew was born.
When I drove up to the Happy Crew meeting at Amy's house, I was immediately greeted by 10 friendly teens who welcomed me with open arms, along with new kids streaming in. Out back, 20 more kids were milling around, laughing, and eating. The feeling of community, acceptance, and love was palpable. There were kids of all shapes, sizes, genders, nationalities, and interests—a true melting pot where everyone comes as they are.
Each Monday night during the school year, teens come to Amy's house to discuss lessons about gaining control over emotions, widening their perspective, overthinking, gratitude, active listening, and more. The kids and leadership team collaborate on topics for the year. Then, Amy pulls from her years of counseling and creates hands-on activities and lessons made to stick with them.
Even their matching sweatshirts further the community feeling. On the sleeve is written: "We got you! Keep climbing and growing. We're all in this together. You matter, You belong.”
I asked Amy the meaning behind the message. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I got a call one day at 6 o'clock in the morning from a kid who said, 'You saved my life last night.' " The student was in a particularly low and desperate place but then found The Happy Crew sweatshirt with the message of hope. "Then I knew I wasn't alone," Amy recalls the student saying. That is the power behind what Amy is doing, and it is critical for our teens.
Amy has seen the power of this community and the difference it can make in driving down the suicide rate and increasing hope and love amid the mental health crisis that our teens are facing. The Happy Crew is a safe place—a place for kids to come together and work through the difficulties of being a teenager. It is a place for community, a place of belonging, and a life-saving place.
I legitimately sat in my car and cried before I could drive home, and secretly wished there was a Happy Crew at my kids' high school. But, I know that Amy’s vision is expanding and will soon be a resource for all of South Denver and beyond. The Happy Crew team is working on opening Kākou Coffee House, a place for connection, help, and delicious coffee. You can join this movement by heading to thehappycrew.org and donating or visiting Kākou Coffee when it opens later this year. We need more people like Amy and more Happy Crews
We're all in this together. You matter, You belong!