In the Calm Room, we leaned into quiet creativity with a self-guided coloring session. The setup was simple but intentional: stacks of coloring books, vibrant colored pencils and markers, and a special set of coloring pages that read “I choose kindness.” Students were invited to settle in and go at their own pace with this coloring session. These self-guided sessions remind us that healing doesn’t always require direct guidance. Sometimes, students just need space to follow their own rhythm.
This week in the Calm Room, we gathered in a circle with our Program Coordinator, Liz, for a check-in that invited presence, reflection, and possibility. Liz began by going around and asking each student who participated how they were feeling. From there, we shifted to what kind of workshops the students would like to see when they come to the Calm Room. Students wrote their ideas down, which filled the center of our circle. Wrapping things up, we also asked the students to reflect on how they felt before entering the Calm Room and how they felt now.
We are grateful to the students who were a part of the Check-in Circle and to Liz, who held the space with ideas and intention. We look forward to seeing you at the next Check-in Circle!
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.
Yesterday, the Firehouse Dream Team went to Proviso East to hand out 153 more kits to the high school students. Thanks to our team, we ran out once again at each lunch period, but thanks to our partnership with the Loyola Health clinic, we can now do weekly drop offs to the students who have not received one. In total, we have now given away 600 kits to our local high school students. Thank you so much to our supporters for believing in this mission!
While the team was in the lunch room passing out kits, Jasmine and Maya went around to a couple of class rooms to educate our students on how money can impact mental health! Jasmine shared her story on how money has impacted her personal life. She presented '“money truths” to help the students believe in themselves and that money is a tool.
The Firehouse Dream has been making an impact in our community! Thank you all for following along in our journey!
Since the beginning of Dec 2019, I’ve been teaching photography to a group of students at Proviso East. Our photo club averaged 3-7 students each time we met…which took place on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s. We made huge progress from learning how to see light, to my students learning how to change their settings in manual, and then how to import and edit their photos in Lightroom. We had big goals of showcasing student work in the hallways, as well as putting on an end of year gallery.
While all programming is on hold with COVID-19, I remain hopeful that when we can meetup again, that we will be able to move forward with pursuing those big goals!
So friends….here’s a few Iphone pics I took while at Proviso East over the past few months.
