Colton, CA—Link Crew hosted their Synergy event in the Hubbs Gym on Wednesday, September 29th from 7:30 a.m. until 10:40 a.m.

This is their 8th year doing Synergy, including distance learning. They try to have 3-4 synergy events throughout the year. Sometimes, they visit other schools. On December 10, Link Crew plans to run an event at Colton Middle School for their Web Crew students.

Michael Esquivel, Link Crew Advisor, said, “The purpose of Synergy is for students to interact with other students, and make new friends, talk about their struggles, relate with other students who may be going through similar things, and just to have a safe place for students to come and feel like they can talk to other kids with the safety of not feeling judged.”

Ninety students signed up for the event in addition to 70 Link Crew students.

They engaged in many icebreaker activities all leading to the day’s big event, “Walk the Line.” In this game, a Link Crew leader makes a statement, and if it applies to a participant, they must cross over a line stretched out across the gym floor. One of the questions was “Walk the line if you have ever accomplished something you were proud of.” Participants who who didn’t walk the line held up encouraging signs as a show of support.

Many students enjoyed the Synergy event and learned a lot from it. Mercy Mgbemere, a junior, said, “I think that Synergy was fun because you get to meet new people, and it’s a friendly environment, and everyone is friends here. It’s a welcoming place, where you get to understand things about people’s situations, and what they went through. It’s a chance to learn people’s stories.”

Most of the students, and Link Crew leaders who attended found it very beneficial, and were able to open up, be vulnerable, and relate to new people who have gone through or are currently going through similar situations.