In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, inspirational bracelets were made with students of Proviso Math and Science Academy. With beads, charms, and string, each unique bracelet was made as a reminder of strength, care, and community. Some bracelets were made for themselves, and others were made for friends and family: the people who keep them going. Each bracelet carries a message that you are heard and you are seen.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
Last night, during our Volunteer Night, we successfully packed 200 Mental Health Kits! We appreciate our volunteers who participated and were a part of it. We gathered all the items that were put inside the kits, as well as an additional new item. The Mental Health Kits now include a new design on our journals where you can do your check-ins, answer journal prompts, and more! These Mental Health Kits will be given away this month to the students of Proviso East High School on September 18th during lunch hours, in honor of Suicide Prevention Month.
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 program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
During Volunteer Night, Jessica, our Community Engagement Coordinator, prepared Mental Health Kits, and with the help of our amazing volunteers! We separated and packed the stickers and fidget game consoles that will also be included in each Mental Health Kit.
As we continue to prepare our Mental Health Kits for our next Volunteer Night, we would like others to know that these kits will be distributed in September in honor of Suicide Prevention Month. Our goal is to pass out 500 kits this semester!
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.
