Community Meetings

This summer, I observed a seemingly normal girl engaged actively in a hands-on program. She was engaged, working in a group of kids, sewing away.  Afterwards, out of earshot in a low voice,  the director told me that  she had seen her mom stabbed in front of her eyes the week before.   That's correct, stabbed. Multiple times.  The mother lived.

As educators who work in public institutions, our programs are open to all children.  We embrace each child with an open hand and heart.  Yet each kid comes to us with a personal set of needs and experiences; family history, economic situations, withe predispositions and genes.  A school day may have been tough.  Home life may be chaotic. Sports teams and ballet may not be in the cards.

All this brings me to 'community meetings'.

Regardless of circumstance, kids, and people in general are incredibly resilient.  They can walk the planet and go to the moon.  Run a marathon or write a book.  Overcome depression  or fight back cancer.  At a recent visit, community meeting is a regular part of programming.  Here, after snack, the whole program comes together for a short period of time to reflect, talk about the day, recognize and celebrate.  It is a chance to acknowledge and model  dialog, build community, play together and tell jokes. It's a great opportunity to authentically work as a group unit; to build a team.

Simple, but potentially powerful. A resilience enhancer if you will.  More programs should try this.