Week 19 2024-2025 in Review
What a beautifully full week we enjoyed together. Our weeks often feel full, and, this week felt so full of not only offerings and shadow-schedule experiences, but of…heart work. Monday had us starting with a culture check-in on how clean-up of our shared space is going, and what is and isn't working. How can we clean up after ourselves and sometimes others and generally care for our space - when this is often un-fun and we'd frankly rather not and yet it also very much needs to be done so we can continue to use the space…? We discussed some new "try-its" for taking care of the supplies we get out, especially when drawing, and for negotiating with care in advance how and who will clean up. We also held our first community-wide discussion circle for “Futures, Philosophy, and Civics” to talk about The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. LeGuin. What a deep and wide-ranging conversation we had - the young people and facilitators alike were abuzz with ideas and energy and eagerness to read and talk more afterwards - it's safe to say we stretched one another's thinking. We connected. We enjoyed each other. The experience felt like meaningful and kind-hearted discourse, not debate. It was such a joyful stretch into something new to share this experience with parents as well, and we are excited to continue these discussions and explorations. We built a fire and even reheated lunches on the grate, watching and feeling the magic of the flames and their heat.
Our surprise snow day had us all at home and finding ways to connect virtually - some of us learned a new game called, simply, "Pig," that we're now eager to play in person with live dice, as well as some favorite virtual drawing games that had folks giggling and creating together. The rest of the week included additional offerings and opportunities for depth and connection - "What's the Deal with _______, Anyway?" created space for folks to wrestle with big ideas. The group reading The Sapling Cage explored similarly rich concepts - notions of good and evil, who determines which is which, and what if our attention is better put towards balance rather than binaries? In "Music that Moves Us…" we listened to "AK-47" by Indigenous band Digging Roots, which led us into conversations about gun violence and how to turn love into protest. Some young people left excited to bring their own songs for future sessions, as well. R continued his popular drawing offering this week, focusing on basic forms and shapes. We celebrated more birthdays, enjoying our sweet rituals of asking the birthday person how they'd like to be celebrated, and then writing community cards, sharing words of appreciation, and singing to them if they wish.
Our week together concluded with a treat- and love-filled Valentine's Day celebration. The young people here almost exclusively planned and executed this event, which ranged from discussions about how to manage the exchange of valentine wishes in a way that honored our culture of consent and optional participation, and, perhaps most importantly, to which treats we would have and how many of them. Several young people either made and brought delicious items to share or contributed family recipes to the mix, taking into consideration community preferences and wishes. Overall, this was a testament to not only their autonomy but to their agency - their awareness that they can have an idea, AND…the power to bring it to fruition alongside others. They didn't wait for anyone to grant permission or offer rules or a checklist of parameters (facilitators may have shared what food preparation was and wasn't in their capacity to support…). They moved with consideration for community in mind, and in partnership with one another, coordinating a lovely and kind-hearted celebration.
What does it mean to belong to a place? Does one aspect of belonging look like moving with agency to shape and contour shared experiences and culture? To move as though community is a verb, rather than something static we passively experience?
"This is how I - and we - would like this place to be, and we are making it so."
Our hearts are full.
With gratitude and care,
Emily, Sarah, and Zoey