Healthy Roots at Shadle Park High School: Recap
Healthy Roots at Shadle Park High School: Recap
In December, YWCA partnered with the college and career center at Shadle Park High School to bring three interactive lunch time lessons focused on the social and emotional skills required for post-secondary success.
What is Healthy Roots?
건강한 뿌리 is a free educational series facilitated with high school students to help youth engage critically in conversations about relationships and build relationship skills. Relationship Skills are one of the five social and emotional competencies defined by CASEL as “the abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.”
Through a collaboration with April Eberhardt, college and career readiness specialist, we were able to adapt the content from 건강한 뿌리 focusing on relationship skills as a core social and emotional competency and apply it to the post-secondary arena.
Program Highlights
Sessions began with a game of icebreaker questions to build rapport with the Prevention Specialist and share their long-term goals. Key topics included:
- Self-Care: Students explored common challenges related to self-care in college such as getting enough sleep and finding a sustainable work/life balance. Participants created customized self-care plans utilizing the self-care wheel to best prevent burnout and navigate major life transitions.
- Self-Esteem: Each student received a packet with journal prompts for expressing gratitude, recognizing strengths, and improving self-esteem. Youth learned about the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with oneself while navigating significant life changes.
- Soft Skills: Groups learned how their strengths identified through journaling can be applied to multiple career fields.
- Living with Roommates: Discussions emphasized how relationship skills such as setting boundaries and conflict resolution are essential to creating a positive roommate environment.
“Connecting with the youth in this way was really exciting for me as a recent college graduate,” says Chloe Bolz, YWCA Prevention Specialist. “ Many seniors are anxious about the upcoming life transition. I loved being able to speak about my own experiences and share that even if you are scared there are still great things ahead.”
What Students had to Say
- “Chloe’s lunchtime sessions are very helpful. As a first generation college student, I didn’t really get told any of this stuff so her information has been very helpful.”
- “I never really thought about college life so she really helped me to actually think about the non-financial aid stuff.”
- “Chloe is really helpful and she has awesome hair and gives great advice.”
Gratitude and Partnership
Thank you so much to April Eberhardt and Shadle Park High School for your partnership in bringing 건강한 뿌리 to your students. This valuable partnership empowers young people to succeed in the next stage of their lives.
Bring Healthy Roots to Your Community
If you or your organization would like to partner with YWCA Spokane’s prevention efforts that foster healthy relationships within young people in our community, please contact Chloe Bolz, Prevention Specialist, by calling 509-370-9024.
By: Chloe Bolz
관련 게시물
2025 Youth Self-Care Summit Recap
The Youth Self-Care Summit in Spokane is a one-day celebration empowering young women of color through self-care education and community. Hosted by YWCA Spokane and SWAG, the summit features interactive workshops, local facilitators, and a keynote by SWAG director Jaime Stacy, fostering connection, healing, and collective growth together locally.