The Pushing Pawn Values - G.R.I.T
Grounded - Share tools and information rooted in lived experience and scientific research.
Responsible - Focus on what we can control. Encourage one another to make responsible choices in life.
Intentional - Reject superficiality and performative gestures. Seek meaning in our interactions, pursuits, and relationships.
True - Be authentic with self and one another. Speak from the heart and listen with an open mind.
About
The Pushing Pawn is a hub built by a teen who knows what it’s like to feel unsure or overwhelmed. Very often, we're given generic advice such as "Get help if you are struggling" or empty affirmations like "You are great the way you are". But what we need most are tools and support that help us become resilient, so that not only can we ride the waves of life but also thrive and grow. This is what the Pushing Pawn is here for!
This platform provides:
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Practical tools for growing youth resilience.
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A community for like-minded peers to connect and build resilience together.
Why The Pushing Pawn
I'm a high school student living in Canada.
I began working on this platform in the summer of grade 9, after losing a peer to mental health related conditions. They were gone so suddenly that I didn't even get the chance to know them well. In the weeks after learning about their passing, I kept recalling the limited interactions we had, searching for signs that I might have missed. What could have been done?
What could have been done so that they were strong enough, physically and mentally, to bounce back after each fall? So that they had a tight-knit, compassionate community to lift them up? So that they would still be here, embracing life for what it is, with all its good, bad, and everything in between?
Wouldn't it be nice if we had Pym Particles and Tony Stark’s time-space GPS? Wouldn't it be great if we could travel back in time for a do-over? Sadly, time travel doesn't exist in my universe. What has happened cannot be undone...
What now?
This platform is my attempt to explore that question. I named it "The Pushing Pawn", because as a chess enthusiast I deeply appreciate the pawn. It's a minor piece on the board, both in size and material value (it's worth 1 point, the lowest among all the pieces). Yet pawns are the soul of the game. They control key squares and form the structure that hold the foundation for launching strategies and tactics. They are full of strength and hidden potential. One step at a time, a pawn can push its way to the other end of the board and become a much more powerful piece - a knight, a rook, or a queen! In fact, some of the world's most memorable games have been won by pawns. Never, ever underestimate the power of a pushing pawn!
My peer's passing has forced me to contemplate how I want to live my life. So many details I haven't figured out. So many things I can't control. But I do know one thing: I want to live my life as a pushing pawn. No matter how insignificant I may turn out be in the grand scheme of the world, no matter how complicated the game of life gets, I'll just keep pushing. This is my choice, and a choice made with the knowledge of my limitations and life's challenges. I hope you'll join me in this journey. Together, we push for a stronger self!