Opinion

Letter from the Editor: Fall 2021 Edition

Hi,

Welcome to the second volume of Youth Mind magazine! Whether you’ve been here since day one with The Persistence Issue or you are a first-time reader, Youth Mind could not have done this without you. Thank you, dear readers, for your support in making this magazine what it is today as we go into our second year.

If you’ve already skimmed to the bottom of this letter and realized Ramona’s signature isn’t there, I suppose it’s time to introduce myself. I’m Emma, the new managing editor, and it’s really nice to meet you all! I worked on the summer issue as a contributing editor, and I am absolutely honoured to be back again in my new position. I know, I know, I have a lot to live up to. Ramona was on the original team of editors who created this magazine from scratch. She is Youth Mind’s backbone and will be missed here.

But I also know that when she asked me to step into this role, she knew that I would uphold the magazine’s mission of producing stories that today’s young people care about while always aiming to inform, inspire and motivate our readers. And that’s exactly what I’ll do.

I know change can be hard to deal with. So much so, in fact, I made it our fall theme. So, without further ado, welcome to the fall edition of volume two: The Adapting to Change Issue.

Oddly enough, I didn’t realize how fitting the theme would be with me stepping into my new role until I started to write this letter. When I began to shape the topic of this issue, my mind was focused on the pandemic and the changes we’re currently seeing. With vaccinations becoming widespread and places beginning to reopen, I can’t help but wonder what will happen next.

We spent so long adapting to the “new normal” that came with the early lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, are we now at the stage where we should change back to how we were before? Is that adjustment even possible (p. 42)? What will school be like in the fall, and how have students been impacted by online learning for almost two years (p. 10)? What about work; will people have trouble getting back into the work force after being laid off during the pandemic (p. 16)?

While some of these questions are answered in this issue, there’s still a lot unknown as I write this letter. As the situation changes so rapidly, there’s a chance that everything will be different by the time the magazine is released. Who knows? But changes are afoot as it feels like we’re all waking up after a very long dream (okay, nightmare) and while there is still a lot unknown and new, we’ve already done this dance before.

We’ve already transitioned to an online, virtual world and learned how grow and maintain relationships through a screen. We’ve found ways to keep busy, to find new hobbies and to cope during this upside down year and a half.

So, as we enter a new chapter in the pandemic, will the changes be scary? Absolutely. Will we adapt and overcome? You know it.

Sincerely,

Emma Siegel

P.S. If there are any article ideas you’d like to see in an upcoming issue, or stories you want to pitch, send me an email at editor@youthmind.oldf.org. I’d love to hear from you! 

About the author

Managing Editor at Youth Mind | Website

Emma Siegel is the former managing editor of Youth Mind. She loves em dashes a little too much—no, really, it’s true—and when she isn’t editing a story or doing research for her next article, you can always find her with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other.

Emma Siegel

Emma Siegel is the former managing editor of Youth Mind. She loves em dashes a little too much—no, really, it’s true—and when she isn’t editing a story or doing research for her next article, you can always find her with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other.

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