Mental health is always a concern, but especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.

To combat that isolation, the nonprofit Bainbridge Youth Services is putting on a community building event.

Hope Glows will consist of community members decorating bags with messages for a luminaria event on Winslow Way Feb. 5 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. On that night, LED lights will be placed in the bags, and the community can either drive by or walk by to read them, as long as you wear a mask and social distance 10 feet apart.

It is the first time BYS has hosted such an event.

“We saw the need,” executive director Cezanne Allen said. “It’s dark, cold and rainy. We can’t get out that much due to COVID. There’s been a surge so we’re isolated more. So we’re having a celebration of light, hope and action.”

She said their vision is for the “community to come together for a little art project and come back and enjoy the collective effort.”

Messages on the bags don’t have to be positive. It can also be a way of sharing pain. While COVID will not last forever, that’s not something that’s easy to understand for young people, Allen said.

“We can feel others’ pain and also our own,” she said. “We think we are alone in our struggles, but it’s really part of the human condition.”

It can be hard to talk to people about our emotions, so this is one way to get it out, she added.

“We know that a fundamental need of every human being is connection and knowing we’re not alone,” Allen said. “What’s shareable is bearable.”

Participants can pick up the white paper bags at Bainbridge Youth Services at 8533 Madison Ave. N. Decorate and return them by Feb. 1.

Allen has led BYS for three years but is leaving at the end of February because she needs time for herself for personal reasons. She said it’s a good time because the organization is strong.

She said during this time of uncertainty the staff has been flexible in making things all virtual. The mission of BYS is to attend to the social and emotional well-being of local 13- to 21-year-olds with free counseling, peer tutoring and work exploration opportunities.

As for Hope Glows, BYS suggests decorating bags with song titles, quotes, poems, sayings, pictures, etc. Because it could be rainy, water colors and permanent markers are suggested. BYS has provided suggestions for the bags.

Prompts

• If you know someone who is struggling, what do you want to share with them?

• Right now I’m thankful for:

• For me the toughest part of the pandemic has been:

• The surprising silver lining is:

• What is the light you see?