Ornament Decorating at TFD

This workshop was facilitated by Yekseny Guerrero. The gathering began with introductions, creating a space for everyone to share a bit more about themselves. From there, Yekseny guided our neighbors into some intentional questions - inviting self-reflection and opening the door for deeper conversations.

The heart of the workshop was decorating ornaments, each becoming a canvas for expression. Colors were added to the ornament globes, speaking about the hardships that have been faced - each color representing a story. As the colors were being mixed together, each ornament was unique and created a new look for each one. Watching the colors merging reminded us that even when hardships overlap, there is always something positive in the outcome of all the negatives.

At the close of the workshop, we held space to appreciate the process and each other. We are grateful to Yekseny for leading this workshop with such care and intention as always.

Candle Making at TFD

This candle-making workshop was led by both Liz, our Program Coordinator, and Jess, our Community Engagement Coordinator. For this workshop, it was a 2-in-1, where candle making was mixed in with a check-in circle.

They started with introductions, as each neighbor wrote down their names and chose a word that started with the letter of their first name. Next, they had the choice to select from inspiring stickers, and paint markers to decorate their candles. This allowed them to add a personal touch that reflected themselves and their stories. Each person then shared the meaning of their candle with the group.

While the candles hardened, they shifted back into a check-in circle where they played games, and fostered deeper connection and belong as a community.

Be sure to check out some of our favorite photos from this workshop below!

A Field Trip to Gente Fina

Photo Credit: Mariah

This last weekend, our mentees went on a field trip to Gente Fina, where they got the opportunity to ask the co-founders, Manny & Abraham, different questions about the creative field. They learned so many new things about creating a brand and what it takes to start. Niches, vendors, manufacturers, money, ideas, and networking were all mentioned throughout this dialogue. We cannot wait to partner with them again soon!

After we got back to the firehouse, Sandra, our Mentorship Coordinator, assisted our mentees in digitizing their work into Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is a very long process to learn but in the end it is all worth it. It is an amazing skillset to have and we love having Sandra to be able to pass on her knowledge to our mentees about this amazing software.

Photo Credit: Mariah

Coping Skills & The Basics Of Illustrator

Can you believe we are already halfway through week 4 of mentorship? On Wednesday, our mentees participated in a coping skills workshop led by Erika Luna from the Oasis Project. As mental health is one of our three pillars, it is important we incorporate it into our mentorship. Throughout this workshop, coping skills were discussed amongst our mentees and Erika Luna. Our mentees learned how to deal with stress more constructively, establishing boundaries on what you cannot control, and skills to deal with stress.

We then transitioned to our next workshop with our mentorship coordinator, Sandra. The mentees and Sandra talked about the basics of Adobe Illustrator on an Apple iPad. All through this software was challenging to use, it was rewarding to see our mentees work together to meet their goal of designing something new!

All Things Editing, Safe Spaces, And Intro To Graphic Design!

Photo Credit: @mariah_julianna_

Not only is photography difficult, but the editing process is a lot harder! During the first day of week 4 in mentorship, our mentees wrapped up the learning process of editing, partook in a safe space dialogue, and began the intro to graphic design! It is so awesome to see all that our mentees have learned in the past few weeks. We are eager for what is to come in week five!

Photo credit: @mariah_julianna_