Blogs and News

Finding Freedom in Jail Through Forgiveness

Finding Freedom in Jail Through Forgiveness

As Chad and I finished an Insight to Well-Being class last week with a group of women at the Falkenburg Road Jail, we reflected on the insights that were discovered with this group. One being the Power of Forgiveness.

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The Significance of Mentoring Programs for Youth

The Significance of Mentoring Programs for Youth

  Introduction Imagine not knowing that you don’t have to be a product of your environment. Imagine not knowing that you have unlimited creative potential of the universe inside of you.  Imagine not knowing that beyond all thinking of right and wrong, there is...

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Connection: The Key To A Successful Youth Mentoring Program

Connection: The Key To A Successful Youth Mentoring Program

Youth mentoring programs are structured relationships in which an experienced and knowledgeable adult provides guidance, support, and assistance to a young person. These programs are designed to help young individuals develop specific skills, overcome challenges, make positive life choices, and reach their full potential. Youth mentoring programs can be designed to decrease school dropout rates, improve behavioral outcomes and improve academics, or increase self-sufficiency.

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Can a Dragonfly Change the World?

Can a Dragonfly Change the World?

I remember whenever I used to hear the word motivation, it would strike me as something I needed to work on or strive for. Or that it was something that I needed to search for or build up. Most of the time, when people hear that word, they think it means to put in hard work or even just have the energy to tackle the laundry piled up in the hamper… at least, that is how it looked for me. 

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Motivation –  Who I am Before I Doubt Myself

Motivation –  Who I am Before I Doubt Myself

I remember whenever I used to hear the word motivation, it would strike me as something I needed to work on or strive for. Or that it was something that I needed to search for or build up. Most of the time, when people hear that word, they think it means to put in hard work or even just have the energy to tackle the laundry piled up in the hamper… at least, that is how it looked for me. 

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Finding the Right Well-Being Program for your Students

Finding the Right Well-Being Program for your Students

Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are essential in today’s schools. With an emphasis on mental health, self-awareness, and communication, these programs can help students manage their emotions, build relationships, and develop life skills. But with so many SEL programs on the market, how do you know which one is best for your school district? Let’s explore what to look for when selecting SEL programs.

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Do I Need a ‘New Me’ in 2023?

Do I Need a ‘New Me’ in 2023?

We’ve all heard it dozens of times – New Year, New You! For many years this refrain motivated me in my resolutions and then went quickly down the drain, along with those same resolutions. A year later, I’d attach myself to the slogan again and somewhere around January 13th, it lost its appeal -again. I’ll just learn to live with the “old me,” I’d think. This new version seems like too much work. Sound familiar?

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“Why Do I Have These Feelings?”

“Why Do I Have These Feelings?”

There is no doubt that feelings can be intense. They can trick us into thinking something is really wrong, and we need to fix them. But what if you had awareness? What if you knew that your feelings were only a projection of what’s going on in your mind at the moment?
I was having a bad day. My emotions were high. I felt anxiety, frustration, anger, sadness, and discontentment all at one time. When we don’t like a feeling, we automatically want to fix it.

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World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day

For Each year around the globe, October 10th is recognized as World Mental Health Day.

For 2022, the theme is “make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.” Some goals for creating this day would include raising awareness of mental health issues, destigmatizing the subject, and ideally opening the conversation about mental health. This year, the topic carries a bit more weight as it forces us to dissect the inequalities within the mental health system, which turns into looking at society as a whole, both chronologically and geographically.

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SEL is Not a 4 Letter Word -by Tara Phillips

SEL is Not a 4 Letter Word -by Tara Phillips

As a classroom teacher of 16 years, I understand the pushback from some within the education community about adopting a social emotional learning curriculum and making it a priority within their classrooms or schools. For the first 12 years of my teaching career, I taught at upper middle class, high-achieving schools in suburban Texas neighborhoods. When I wasn’t teaching these students, who came to school predisposed for success, I taught overseas in Abu Dhabi. Once again, I was teaching students who rarely wanted for much.

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