Fresh Start to The Year
Our first Team Meeting of 2023, celebrating our winter birthdays that we missed over our break!
In our fast-paced culture, taking time off to breathe is often seen as a counter-productive practice. Let's be honest, we've all felt guilty about taking a sick day or have worked outside of our scheduled hours. However, at ARTS, we are making an intentional move towards shifting out of this mindset and recognizing the importance of taking breaks. For example, did you know taking regular breaks increases our focus, prevents stress, restores creativity, and elevates our mental well-being?
During our holiday break, we spent time healing with a book and some candles, feasting with loved ones, and reflecting on (and feeling proud of!) our growth in 2022. Giving us permission to take our minds off work allowed us to return to work with the motivation to start the new year off strong. Our team started planning for the spring with reflection sessions filled with group activities, highlights from each department, and creative suggestions to elevate our programs. Being vulnerable, realistic, and honest with each other throughout these sessions built our team's trust and gave us the courage to explore new ideas together. Following our reflection sessions at ARTS, we found that our teen population wanted to spend more time at ARTS and strengthen their relationships with their peers and adults. After brainstorming ways we can better serve our teens, we are excited to announce a few significant changes in our programs!
First, we will be having teen programming twice a week instead of once a week to allow teens, Teaching Artists, and supporting staff more time to check in with each other. Second, we are planning to host monthly socials outside of programming at the ARTS Center. Lastly, we will be integrating our spring programs with socio-emotional learning workshops which are designed to allow teens to reflect on their art-making and build their communication, resiliency, and relationship-building skills. These workshops will be led by me and Laura Acosta, our Masters in Social Work intern. We are looking forward to holding space for teens to explore and cultivate their well-being this spring, and we wish you the best with your self-healing journey as well!
