Club Impact: Emotional Health

Given the high emotions we are all feeling as the pandemic drones on, we’ve been working on emotional awareness, mindfulness and use of breath/meditation as a tool for wellness at the Clubs. This includes bulletin boards with each Members’ name at The Zones of Regulation. The board also lists some strategies for self-care & wellness in each feeling zone. The kids have begun using it daily, and it’s immediately paying dividends.

Frankie, a young member who is quick to anger & react, was really upset recently by something in the classroom. In these kinds of moments, he has had a pattern of destroying his schoolwork, throwing books, or worse. Frankie has experienced trauma many times and we know he learned these coping mechanisms in his home.

This time, while he was angry, he walked up to the board and moved his name to the red zone (representative of feelings such as being upset, mad, frustrated, etc.). His mentor was watching to see what would happen next. Just at this moment, she witnessed him taking deep breathes, slowing down, closing his eyes, and then moving his name back to the yellow zone (happy, calm, ready to learn)! Then, excitedly, he explained his process to her of how he calmed himself down.

We were so excited to see his progress and see our work helping this young man!

Because of your investment in us, we know kids are making changes that help them have better lives. Thank you!