By Jennifer Cantwell and Katie Rayner
The United Way of Greater Plymouth County Family Center’s Drug Endangered Children’s Initiative recently partnered with Sabura Youth Programs Inc. to offer a virtual trauma-sensitive yoga workshop.
Kati Mapa, the DEC Initiative Clinical Advocate, worked with Jayla Thompson, Family Center Intern for the fall semester, to adapt the Balance4Kids yoga program to an online class. By preparing individual bags of craft supplies for each class participant, Kati and Jayla were able to keep that hands-on element of the program. Anita ‘Leny” Monteiro from Sabura delivered the craft bags to the students before the start of the class. Eighteen fifth grade students were able to participate.
Balance4Kids helps to engage and challenge children, teaching focus and relaxation to help them find their own personal strengths and help them develop confidence. The main goal of the workshop is to empower children and give participants an opportunity to express themselves through yoga and meditation. Participants also learn coping mechanisms for when they feel overwhelmed or stressed, helping them to feel a sense of calm and figure out how to better handle the situation.
“The children may not be fully focused on every pose (they are still kids) but they are still learning them. I think when the children are then feeling stressed or scared, the poses and breathing techniques that they learn during class gives them something to focus on and a way to calm and center themselves,” Sarah Piper, in intern for the Drug Endangered Children’s Initiative said.
Balance4Kids yoga program trained 20 facilitators from across Plymouth County last year at the Family Center. This facilitator training made the Balance4Kids program more widely available in Plymouth County. The program can be used in schools and in after school programs.
The Balance4Kids workshop pairs a story and craft with the trauma sensitive yoga for each session. The craft activity promotes stress relieving activities that coincide with the yoga lesson. One of the crafts included children making beaded key chain with positive and affirming words on that the children can see and remember.
This workshop is designed to give children who deal with traumatic experiences various coping mechanisms to handle their emotions, or anxieties that they may be feeling.
For more information on Balance4Kids, visit https://balance4kids.net/
For more information on the Drug Endangered Children’s Initiative, visit https://hwc.plymouthda.com/abo...lymouth-county-deci/
For more information on the Family Center, visit https://www.uwgpc.org/frc
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