On June 12, I (Caralyn, New Mentality Network Coordinator) had the pleasure of traveling to Kingston to attend their Change the View workshop, along with Mary-Anne, Co-Chair of CMHO’s Youth Action Committee (YAC).
We were both taken by Kingston’s beauty as we explored the waterfront and admired the old buildings. I was feeling particularly steeped in the historical significance of this breathtaking place, and so before heading to the workshop I dragged Mary-Anne to Fort Henry to continue to bask in Kingston’s sun-drenched glory and take in the view from the top of the hill - Kingston's elegant skyline back dropped by the St. Lawrence River.
So suffice to say, I really like Kingston. Moving on…
The workshop we attended was entirely planned and facilitated by Kingston’s New Mentality Group, which is supported by Pathways for Children and Youth, and housed in QECVI, a local High School. The workshop was held at the Kingston Community Health Centre.
The goals of the session:
We opened with a fun movement based energizer/icebreaker, The Warm Wind Blows.
Then individuals shared beautiful personal accounts of why they keep coming back to their New Mentality group. Most spoke of feelings of safety; to be their true selves, to fully express themselves, to exist and to engage without fear, and to not have to hide. Many spoke of profound bonds, with other group members and with adult allies. Some spoke of love. It takes great courage to open up so honestly. I felt deep admiration.
We watched a powerful video. It made me think of our personal narratives and how they can be reinforced, or transformed. How maybe that’s what some of us in the room were doing at that very moment.
We played another fun game that was new to me – Connect – where we were encouraged to interrupt each other for the sake of getting to know one another a bit better. Very interesting! After a delicious fresh lunch of sandwiches and salad, we did the things mentioned above: groups from out of town presented about their projects, and we completed a café. For the sake of brevity, I will save the details of these activities for another post :)
After we closed the session, the Kingston group invited everyone back to their space at QECVI, to which most everyone obliged. We hung out for a bit, some people did a little dance, and we parted ways, feeling full of sunshine and bliss.
Thank you to our excellent hosts and to everyone for bringing their hearts and minds! I had a wonderful time.
We were both taken by Kingston’s beauty as we explored the waterfront and admired the old buildings. I was feeling particularly steeped in the historical significance of this breathtaking place, and so before heading to the workshop I dragged Mary-Anne to Fort Henry to continue to bask in Kingston’s sun-drenched glory and take in the view from the top of the hill - Kingston's elegant skyline back dropped by the St. Lawrence River.
So suffice to say, I really like Kingston. Moving on…
The workshop we attended was entirely planned and facilitated by Kingston’s New Mentality Group, which is supported by Pathways for Children and Youth, and housed in QECVI, a local High School. The workshop was held at the Kingston Community Health Centre.
The goals of the session:
- Connect New Mentality Groups (Done! We had representation from East Metro Youth Services, CMHO’s Youth Action Committee, and a new group from Open Doors for Lanark and Children and youth)
- Create Opportunities for New Mentality Groups to share their work (Also done! The gracious hosts scheduled time for each group to present their projects and recent activities)
- Support the YAC’s research project (Done – 3 for 3! We had a café where we looked at the main question of YAC's Speak Up Speak Out project: How can schools create a supportive environment for youth struggling with mental health issues?)
We opened with a fun movement based energizer/icebreaker, The Warm Wind Blows.
Then individuals shared beautiful personal accounts of why they keep coming back to their New Mentality group. Most spoke of feelings of safety; to be their true selves, to fully express themselves, to exist and to engage without fear, and to not have to hide. Many spoke of profound bonds, with other group members and with adult allies. Some spoke of love. It takes great courage to open up so honestly. I felt deep admiration.
We watched a powerful video. It made me think of our personal narratives and how they can be reinforced, or transformed. How maybe that’s what some of us in the room were doing at that very moment.
We played another fun game that was new to me – Connect – where we were encouraged to interrupt each other for the sake of getting to know one another a bit better. Very interesting! After a delicious fresh lunch of sandwiches and salad, we did the things mentioned above: groups from out of town presented about their projects, and we completed a café. For the sake of brevity, I will save the details of these activities for another post :)
After we closed the session, the Kingston group invited everyone back to their space at QECVI, to which most everyone obliged. We hung out for a bit, some people did a little dance, and we parted ways, feeling full of sunshine and bliss.
Thank you to our excellent hosts and to everyone for bringing their hearts and minds! I had a wonderful time.