We are so excited to have handed out Mental Health Kits at Proviso East’s health fair last week! Overall, we gave away 321 kits at this Health Fair. Additionally, it was great to see our community partners and meet new ones! This event is impactful for students and community organizations as well. Thank you to Loyola’s School-Based Health Center for inviting us!
We are so excited to announce our second annual Black and Brown Solidarity Art Convening with the help of Healing Illinois. This event is completely planned and executed by local youth.
So far, we are finishing the planning phase and getting into the execution phase. The youth committee started by participating in healing circles. These were co-led by Liz and Benjamin who are both trained as circle facilitators. This was to introduce the youth to restorative justice but also to build trust with one another, especially because they will be holding each other accountable during this process. After, the youth picked a topic for what this convening would be focused on. This year, it’s Creative Experiences within Proviso!
The Convening will be held on June 5th, 2025 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The youth are looking for creatives to submit their art to be featured at the convening. Please see the link below to submit your piece on your own cultural experiences or cultural experiences within Proviso.
Liz and Benjamin led another great community circle on Wednesday. This session, community members wrote some words that resonated with them for safety and belonging. They also wrote one word they are hoping to implement into their life this year. Then, each person put their cards into the circle to symbolize connectedness.
The next community circle will be Wednesday, April 16th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. We hope you can make it!
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!
Jessica and Benjamin led another great community circle on Wednesday. Although we had to reschedule, we are so grateful our community was able to show up! This session continued to build relationships and trust from the previous session. Community members bring their centerpiece items that represent an important moment or memory. Then, the centerpieces were then added to the middle with Jessica and Benjamin’s pieces.
The next community circle will be Wednesday, March 12th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. We hope you can make it!
