During the Calm Room, we set up tables and chairs for a bracelet-making session, led by Liz, our Program Coordinator. Liz explained the intention behind making bracelets and how each charm and/or bead can be represented. The students chose their beads and charms and got to wear their bracelets, the excitement from the students seeing their own bracelets come together.
By the end of the session, 17 bracelets were made!
In the Calm Room, we leaned into quiet creativity with a self-guided coloring session. The setup was simple but intentional: stacks of coloring books, vibrant colored pencils and markers, and a special set of coloring pages that read “I choose kindness.” Students were invited to settle in and go at their own pace with this coloring session. These self-guided sessions remind us that healing doesn’t always require direct guidance. Sometimes, students just need space to follow their own rhythm.
In our recent Doll Making Workshop, Yekseny Guerrero, MA, ATR-P explained the tradition and the history of the worry dolls. These worry dolls originated from Guatemala and Mexico, and it was a way to help anxious children and to help with their worries. Yekseny shared a story about a princess who would make her own worry dolls when she had fears. She would tell her worry dolls her fears and worries and would place them under her pillow; mindfully get those worries out of your body right before heading to sleep. After the story, each participant had post-it notes to write down their own worries.
Throughout the workshop, each person was making their own very worry doll, each being unique from another. Near the end, Yekseny started another conversation by asking questions like what colors were chosen, how tight the wrapping was during the process of making the doll, what direction the wrap was going, and the name of each doll. All these questions made everyone think more about the process of it all.
By the end of the workshop, the room was filled with laughter, scraps of fabric, and the new worry dolls that were made. This workshop was a celebration of creativity, culture, and connections - and now you have your own worry doll to hold and speak to and remind you that your worries don’t have to stay tucked inside.
This time in the Calm Room, we invited students to slow down and shape something with their hands. We brought different colors of clay, tools, and open space - letting creativity lead the way. It was fun to see the students come up and make their clay creations come to life! These moments remind us that creativity does not always need words, but you can also create something in different ways.
Last week we hosted art therapy with Yekseny for our neighbors! Art therapy this week was entered around family bonding through blanket making. Each family was able to pick out their own fabric and tie the knots together with their loved ones. We loved seeing the generational support with one another! We are so appreciative to our TFD friends and community members for coming out to this workshop and being vulnerable.
Thanks to Yekseny for a wonderful, artistic night!
