Isak's POV:
It's Tuesday night. The first night of my club. I texted Jonas telling him I was nervous. "Don't be. You got this. Have fun. Text me if it sucks haha." I locked my phone and threw it on my bed. Jonas was right. It was so dumb to feel nervous. I just hoped it wasn't...I don't know...I just hoped that it would be good.
I hopped on my bike and started heading to the YWCA. What's kind of cool about this club is that it's run by kids at the school but funded by the town YWCA so that's where our meetings were. I don't really know why, but I thought it was cool.
I walked into the Y. I didn't know where to go, but soon I saw the girl from the fair waiving at me. "Hello! Isak, right? I'm Noora if you forgot! Welcome!! We're so happy you could make it. Please. Come in, come in. Just sit right in there." She said with an enthusiastic smile. Everything she said seemed very scripted, but I really think it was genuine.
I walked into the room. There were about fifteen kids that I had never seen before sitting down on the floor. The two other girls from the fair were standing up in the middle of the room. "There's a snack table in the back. Feel free to take whatever!" Another pretty girl with blonde hair said. "I'm good thanks though," I responded sitting down on the floor like the rest.
After about ten minutes, about eight more kids walked into the room. Noora came in soon after. "Alright!" She said standing next to the other blonde and one slightly larger girl.
"Hello everyone! I'm so happy that you all decided to sign up and come to our first meeting! The teen dating violence awareness club is a mouthful to say, but it truly is such an amazing club. It is a club that really engages with the community and spreads awareness. So. For those of you that don't know, my name is Noora. I am one of the three leaders of this club. Standing next to me are..." She waited for the girls to introduce themselves.
"I'm Vilde. Hello everyone." The blonde girl with a soft voice said.
"And I'm Chris," responded the slightly larger girl with brown hair.
"Right," Noora continued, "So! Our club's mission statement is to end teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships. It is important that you all remember that statement in case you are ever asked about our club. Now, in this club we are going to discuss the signs for unhealthy relationships but also how to be an ally- and how to act as a resource for friends that are in unhealthy relationships."
As if it were a script, Noora stopped talking and Vilde started.
"As Noora was saying, it's really important that you not only learn what an unhealthy relationship is but what to do if your friend is in one. Trust us, once you know what to look out for you will be so much more aware of all the shit that's happening around us. It's important to make sure that you are equipt with the proper knowledge." Vide said.
"Yeah, and we know that it can sound kind of scary and it is definitely sad. So we totally understand not making total eye-contact with us while we discuss issues, and we also have stress balls and toys in the back to play with. It may sound silly- but it's really important that everyone feels comfortable." Chris commented.
"Now that we have totally scared all of you!! Please don't be scared. Our club is fun too! We talk about serious issues but we still maintain a completely comfortable and fun environment. We will have movie nights, disco parties, thanksgiving dinner, Christmas parties, etc! Of course we're still going to be discussing important stuff- but it's not this morbid thing. So please- smile! Haha" Noora claimed.
"Because you are all definitely sick of us talking. We just want to close by saying thank you for coming. We are now going to go around in a circle and play a little name game. It is important that everyone in this club becomes like one big family- in order to create the most comfortable environment. So please don't be shy! It is a total judge free zone!" Vilde said with a smile.
"Good idea," Chris began, "So, lets go around and each say our name and a food that begins with the same letter!"
There were a lot of names to remember and I definitely wasn't going to remember them all- at least not yet. When it was my turn I said, "Isak, ice cream." It made me feel awkard but I was okay.
As I peddled home, I was really happy that I finally signed up for a club, and happy that I went. I can't wait till next week.
