Hey neighbors! This week was our last session of workshops with PMSA’s mental health club. For our last workshop, we spent it outside with Proviso native, Dasia. Dasia led the students through a relaxing yoga flow after school. Through the series of poses to the ending rest position, the students had fun! We are excited to celebrate all our 23-24 workshops with the facilitators and students!
This week, we were back at PMSA’s mental health club with Sarah of Yo Soy Ella. You may recognize Sarah from our group therapy sessions as well as her Progress over Perfection workshop. In this session, Sarah focused on identity and how individualism matters. During these times, it may be hard to find your authentic self with the stress of family, peers, teachers, you name it! Sarah made sure to name that stress and attach the complications. The students were able to share freely what their identity frustrations look like. Overall, the students continue to make a safe space with one another.
Thanks, Sarah, for leading a necessary conversation!
After three brainstorming sessions, the black and brown dreaming solidarity project has commenced. The youth worked on their creative projects with their respective groups this week. One group is working on videography, another on spoken word, and all the youth are recruiting for an art project where other youth in the neighborhood submit their art supporting black and brown solidarity.
We are still recruiting for our art project! Know any youth who would want to submit their art to be displayed at our convening on June 5th and paid $20 for their submission. Fill out this link to submit a piece.
Last week, we held our last dreaming session for our black and brown creative projects. We are so happy with the turnout and involvement of our Proviso youth. In this session, we finalized topics for our creative projects and assigned managers. But before, we always start with dinner and a check-in. We had a great conversation about our favorite cultural foods with recommendations on foods/restaurants to try. Then we did a cultural connection on the usage of slurs in the youth community. Then, we started talking about our finalized project ideas. We will have three different projects all surrounding black and brown solidarity in the Proviso district. We cannot wait for you all to see them!
Next, week we will start working on our projects this week!
We are continuing our workshops back at PMSA’s mental health club after spring break! The team went to PMSA last Wednesday to talk about limitless dreaming! Jasmine, ED of The Firehouse Dream, led the students through, what she calls, creative provision. This is a tactic used to use imagination to dream up possibilities that may feel impossible. Then creating an action plan, we ponder what it could look like to have this in our lives. Jasmine shared her experiences with the creative provision and how no dream is limited.
Thank you to the students who continuously participate with us, we appreciate you being so open to learning! In two weeks, we will be back at PMSA with Sarah from Yo Soy Ella, leading a talk on identity frustrations and expectations. See us in Ms. Garts classroom, room 213.
