Reflective Doodling Workshop with Irmarie

Reflective doodling workshop led by Irmarie Rios, a licensed therapist and community member, centered on mindfulness, creativity, and emotional expression. The workshop started with check-ins with everyone, noticing how our minds and bodies were feeling coming into the space. Before starting anything else, we all focused on breathing exercises to help reconnect our community members with the present before continuing.

Irmarie introduced simple ways to start doodling with shapes and repetitive patterns, which can help calm the mind, reduce stress, and support emotional release. Conversations naturally flowed through the workshop, creating a relaxed and welcoming space while everyone created their doodles. In this workshop, we used doodling as a tool for reflection, emotional processing, and self-expression without any pressure or expectations around artistic ability. We encourage our community members to embrace their creativity freely, allowing the process itself to become a grounding, reflective, and personal to them.

Windchime Decorating Workshop at TFD

Community art therapy workshop led by Yekseny centered on creative expression, mindfulness, and community connection. The workshop started with a check-in, welcoming both new and recurring community members to feel welcomed. Yekseny introduced the meaning and origin behind mandalas, along with their connection to reducing anxiety and creating a sense of balance. Community members decorated their own windchimes with colors, patterns, and symbols.

Conversations throughout the workshop encouraged reflection, connection, and comfort while creating alongside one another. Once everyone was finished decorating, everyone went around and presented their windchimes and where they planned to place them. The workshop encouraged others to create freely, reflect openly, and leave with something meaningful to them.

Money Management with Joy

Money management workshop, led by Jasmine, our Executive Director, focused on healing our relationship with money through a joy-based approach. We created a space to learn, reflect, and begin shifting our relationship with money through intention and care. Throughout the workshop, we explored personal money stories and how past experiences shape our habits, emotions, and decisions around finances. Jasmine introduced budgeting as a tool to center value, align goals, and redefine what financial success looks like individually. We also discussed financial boundaries, emergency funds, and long-term goals while staying connected to the community as support. As well as learning about tools for money management, there are also strategies: budgeting methods, ways to implement them, and options for saving and investing.

TFD Volunteer Day | Mental Health Kits

As we prepare for Mental Health Awareness Month, we had an amazing volunteer night where we built community while packing stickers, assembling mental health kits, and sharing a meal together. In total, we packed 500 “Bag of Big Feelings!” We usually need two volunteer days to pack all 500 Mental Health Kits, but we had a dream team of volunteers who worked so hard to get all the kits packed and ready for our youth!

Our volunteer day has a packing station to put the stickers together, a station for packing the “Bag of Big Feelings”, and volunteers who made this day successful and fun!

Painting Pots with Yekseny | Art Therapy

Our Painting Pots workshop, led by Yekseny, centered on reflecting on growth while painting pots. Yekseny talked about how spring is a reminder of growth and noticing change over time. Our community members painted terracotta pots as a personal expression of where they are in life. They used the process to reflect on accomplishments and goals for continued growth this year. Each potted plant was selected, connecting intention to a physical action, and group conversations allowed everyone to share the meaning behind their designs and choices. Overall, it created a grounding space for creativity, reflection, and community connection.