Mentorship 2.0 | Week 9

Week 9 of Mentorship 2.0 was all about the mentees finalizing their mentorship projects. Jasmine, our Executive Director, has been supporting our mentorship as a Co-lead, and gave creative guidance to the mentees as they helped their visions come together. We want to thank our mentees for their creativity and their great collaborations with each other.

Moving forward, we are excited for the final week coming up next week

Mental Health Giveaway | Walther Christian Academy

We are excited to share that we had another giveaway of our Mental Health Kits at Walther Christian Academy. 74 Mental Health kits were given away, and the students were happy to look into their kits and see all the items. Other students came up asking about our programming, our workshops, and how they could get involved.

Thank you to Walther Christian Academy for having us and allowing us to give out more Mental Health Kits for the youth!

Mentorship 2.0 | Week 8

We can’t believe our first cohort for Mentorship 2.0 is almost over. It was media day for our mentees to highlight their skill sets. They collaborated with other mentees and small businesses to make this media day a success. There were three setups: A studio setup with a backdrop, lighting, and additional props. A coffee cart featuring Gabi’s goal of having a mobile coffee shop. Lastly, a creative setup, where the photographers had freedom to place their models wherever they wanted them.

The photography team - Mya, Saffron, and Adlemy- rotated through each station, capturing content and experimenting with different looks. They worked closely with another mentee, Keilani, a digital artist developing an album cover concept, and Gabi with her coffee brand.

It was a day of shared ideas, various setups, and a space filled with creativity!

Community Yoga

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.

Calm Room: Bracelet Making

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!

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.