This week’s community session was yoga, led by Daisa Key, a yoga instructor who previously led multiple yoga sessions in our community. Dasia guided the participants through a mix of stretches and grounding poses. There were also quiet moments on the mats, with calming music playing in the background. Daisa gave everyone space to pause and lie back.
Big thanks to Dasia for holding the space with so much care and being attentive to each participant.
This community circle was the first session for our Fall 25 programming season! Each new member was able to create a meaningful name tag to represent their identity. Then, community members moved toward circle where they first got to know each other through a competitive game. After, each person shared their talking piece. This piece is inspired on their own cultural practices. The talking piece is then placed into the middle of the circle and used later to center everyone’s focus on the person currently sharing. Thank you to our Proviso neighbors who showed up this evening!
We gathered at The Firehouse Dream for Youth Mental Health First Aid Training (MHFA) in partnership with Community Outreach at Family Service & Mental Health Center of Cicero. Designed by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, MHFA equips community members with the tools to identify, understand, and respond to signs of Mental Health and substance use challenges among Youth. Throughout the training, we explored how to recognize when a young person might be struggling and how to approach them in ways that foster trust rather than fear. We practiced listening without judgment, asking open-ended questions, and learning how to offer support that honors each person’s mental health. We talked about depression, anxiety, and trauma, the real challenges that young people in our communities face every day. We learned how to respond in moments of crisis and how to connect youth to professional help when needed. Also, learning to support others, learned self-care as self-aiders - recognizing that tending to our own wellbeing is part of how we show up for others.
We are grateful to Family Service & Mental Health Center of Cicero for their partnership, and to every participant who was a part of it, ready to learn, reflect, and support the mental well-being of the Youth.
At Proviso East High School, we did a Mental Health Kit Giveaway! We were able to give away 139 Mental Health Kits to the Proviso East students. Our intention to give away the kits this month was in honor of Suicide Prevention Month. We plan to give 500 kits away this semester! Each kit includes items chosen with intention: calming tools, stickers, and our new custom journal. Students came up to us, showing interest and asking questions about the Mental Health Kits.
We are grateful to every student who received a kit. Thank you PEHS, for having us and giving us this opportunity.
We are excited to share that The Firehouse Dream has received a new addition to our Mental Health Kits. A custom-designed journal created with intention and care. Our journals are designed to serve as a tool to support and process your thoughts and feelings. Inside the journal, each page is crafted to support emotional wellness. You will find: Journal Prompts - these prompts guide reflection, helping explore your thoughts, experiences, and hopes. Affirmations to remind us all of our worth. A page to read more about The Origin Story on our Mental Health Kits: how they came to be and why they exist. A Doodle Space for free expression, a Feelings Check-In, and a Breath work exercise. The journal consists of so many different things!
Healing takes many forms. This journal is just one tool, but it’s yours to shape. To doodle, to reflect, to breathe. Your story matters - and we are honored to be a part of it. These journals are included in our Mental Health Kits, which we distribute to students across the youth of Chicago and Las Vegas.
