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@dyrsdc

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News and updates from the #DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), the #juvenilejustice agency for the District of Columbia. #DYRSDC

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What happens when a young person needs someone to listen, but every conversation turns into advice, correction, or another stressor?Jordyn shares what family means to her, what makes communication difficult, what helps young people feel comfortable enough to open up, and one thing she wishes parents understood.And parents…this episode comes with one rule:Listen before you try to fix it.

Thank you @smokeinherlungs for your transparency and shoutout to our JR president for the episode topic @meinnafemalebody_ #lacestobows🎀 #justyniman #idkwhattocallthispodcast🎀 #youthledmovement

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SEASON 2 of IDK What To Call This Podcast, it's important to note that first and foremost this season was produced by Laces To Bows Inc. Mentee and JR. President "KK" @meinnafemalebody_ sponsored by DC Department of Employment Services SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM. (SYEP)This Episode Feature Angelo @uknowflock and he is breaking down things parents misunderstand about social media, schools, and no im not telling you everything because atp just press play PARENTS! #lacestobows🎀 #podcastyouthproactive

Click the link in the bio to listen NOW 😜

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A culture of writing, a movement of poetics—as the teaching artist-in-residence with the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (@dyrsdc) this has been central to the vision for our “Voices Unlocked” spoken word poetry initiative, which centers the aesthetic practice, inquiry, criticality, and expression of poetry as a therapeutic intervention and liberatory space, in which the youth cohorts in our care explore the depths of healing and becoming on the page to the stage, artists of their lives, beyond incarceration.

Now a full year into our Voices Unlocked programming, I had the great honor of speaking and presenting at the National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s (@ncchc_social) National Conference on Correctional Health Care in New Orleans alongside my incredible partners in this heart work and transformative leaders, Dr. Romita Sillitti, DC DYRS Deputy Director of Behavioral Health Services, Ms. Gabrielle Riggins, DC DYRS Mental Health Specialist and Nkosinathi “Natty” Mncube, DC DYRS RJ Coordinator (both in spirit), and Jessica Linick, PhD, SEP, Co-Clinical Director of The Lionheart Foundation.

From sharing our learning design and systems approach to literary arts education within a behavioral health system, to advocating for more creative modalities in youth correctional health care, and ultimately sharing the published poetry from our youth writers who have graduated the program and those still in our care—it was a great joy to witness the voices behind and within, Voices Unlocked, recognized on a national stage, with more to come.

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#FutureBarbers #Reach1MakeADifference #GiveBack #DintGiveUpOnThem

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Ayeee, it’s #ArtTherapyThursday, and this one hit DIFFERENT🎨💥
“Don’t discount your creativity.” 💯

Session 3 of Created2Create: Wellness Wednesdays @ REACH took us from CHARACTER CREATION ➡️ SELF-CREATION. Because sometimes imagining who you could be helps you recognize everything already inside you🧠🎨🔥

Sponsored by @thedcarts and in partnership with @SashaBruceYouth, our young kings stepped into a room where there were no wrong answers, no pressure to be perfect and no limits on imagination.

🎭 What does your character look like?
⚡ What are their powers?
🛡️ What protects them?
💭 What do they stand for?
🪞And how much of that character is actually YOU?

Creative facilitator @butta_customs brought character design off the page and into real life, challenging the boys to build original characters from their personalities, strengths, challenges, aspirations & straight-up imagination✍🏾🔥

Then wellness facilitator @neeknil helped us go beneath the artwork. We talked identity, self-awareness, confidence, personal values, choices, safety & the qualities we want to strengthen within ourselves 🧠💜

& THAT is where the magic of Created2Create lives.

The character may be fictional, but the confidence is REAL.
The artwork may start on paper, but the conversation goes way beyond it.
And creativity turns out to be a superpower these young men already had. We just gave it somewhere to show up. 🦸🏾‍♂️🎨💥

Creators + healers + young people in one room, using ART to open conversations that might not happen any other way.

That’s Created2Create🎨
That’s creative wellness💪🏽
& we’re only getting started🔥

🎥 Watch the recap, catch the gems & share the movement!

#Created2Create #ArtTherapyThursday #CreativeWellness #YouthEmpowerment

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Ayeee, it’s #WellnessWednesday 🎨💜✨ and Created2Create Cohort 2 officially kicked off Mental Health Mondays at Philip Reid House with one question:

🖍️ When is it okay to color outside the lines?

Sometimes “the lines” aren’t on paper - they’re expectations, behaviors we tolerate & boundaries we’re still learning to communicate.

In partnership with @sashabruceyouth & sponsored by @thedcarts, creative facilitator @toyabecreating & wellness facilitator Melanie Stargell, LCPC of @anchored_counseling led our young creatives through “Coloring Inside the Lines vs. Coloring Outside the Lines,” exploring boundaries, individuality, healthy risk-taking & knowing when structure helps us versus when it’s okay to do things differently 🎨🧠

💬 We asked: What do people do that crosses your personal boundaries?

Their answers were REAL:

🚫 Negative energy
🗣️ Talking behind people’s backs
🤥 Lying to your face
🪞 Not practicing what you preach
🧘🏾‍♂️ Not respecting when someone needs space

One young person said it plainly: “If I’m not in the mood to talk, give me some space.” 💯

That’s wellness too. Recognizing what doesn’t feel right, communicating what you need and understanding that boundaries don’t have to shut people out. They can protect the space you need to be yourself.

🎨 Then came the ART!

Using their favorite colors, patterns and creative choices, participants explored what it feels like to follow structure, challenge it and give themselves permission to create differently.

That’s #Created2Create.

We’re bringing artists + wellness professionals together to create spaces where young people can express, reflect, connect and grow. 🎨🧠💜

And we’re JUST getting started 🔥

❤️ LIKE if you believe young people deserve spaces like this.
💬 COMMENT: What’s one boundary you’ve learned to protect?
🔁 SHARE to help us grow the movement.
📲 FOLLOW + SUPPORT #Created2Create as Cohort 2 continues!

#C2C #CreativeWellness

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Join us as we welcome Eric Solomon, @dyrsdc Public Information Officer during DCHR’s New Employee Orientation.

Here’s to new opportunities, new connections, and making a difference for the residents of DC.

#DCHR #DCCareers #DCGov #WelcomeToTeamDC #NewEmployeeOrientation

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Your career deserves more than reaction. It deserves intention.

You don’t need to have the next 10 years figured out.

But you should know what you’re working toward, what you need to develop, who you need to connect with, and what action you’re taking to get there. ⛰️

That’s what Career Ownership looks like.

ASSESS. DEFINE. DEVELOP. CONNECT. EXECUTE.

Which one do you need to focus on most right now? 👇🏾

The Career Nobody Prepared You For 📖— coming soon.

#TheEmphaticTruth #CareerOwnership #CareerDevelopment #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerTransition

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It wasn’t the degree that changed my life.

It was everything I learned through the process while earning it.

📖 “The Career Nobody Prepared You For” is coming soon.

A guide and interactive ebook dedicated to uncovering your skills and the mindset required to succeed and put you on the offense through challenges you will face both professional and personally.

Comment “OWN” if you want a free copy when it launches!
#theemphatictruth

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Many people believe they are falling behind in their careers and are seeking ways to enhance their skills, talents, and networks. Alignment and direction are crucial to avoid spending years in a position, role, or organization that doesn't maximize your potential. The key is, no one will recognize your value or impact unless you intentionally communicate it.

These five questions help you position yourself for career growth and take ownership of your future. Let’s discuss 👇🏾

📖 The Career Nobody Prepared You For... coming soon
#theemphatictruth #career #development #workforcedevelopment #impact

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Ayeee, it’s #ArtTherapyThursday 🎨💖✨ & yesterday, we officially kicked off Created2Create Cohort 2: Wellness Wednesdays at REACH with a powerful reminder that sometimes growth starts by asking one simple question:

🎒 What am I carrying, and is it still mine to carry?

Sponsored by @thedcarts and in partnership with @sashabruceyouth, our young kings at REACH explored the emotional, mental & everyday weight we carry through our newest creative wellness experience, “What I Carry vs. What Carries Me.”

🗣️ Keep it. Drop it. It depends.

Clinical therapist @bonjour770 led an honest conversation around other people’s opinions, loyalty, family expectations & the pressure to prove ourselves. And the answers weren’t always black and white.

Should we carry other people’s opinions? Maybe not. Should we always feel like we have something to prove? No. But could proving your ability at work help you earn that next opportunity? Absolutely.

That’s the beauty of these conversations. Wellness isn’t always about one “right” answer. Sometimes it’s developing the awareness to decide what deserves space, what needs to be released & what requires discernment🧠💭

💬 From there, we turned inward, as visual arts facilitator @dunnietheartist guided the group through affirmations and positive self-talk. Because sometimes the way we speak to ourselves is harsher than anything we’d say to someone else. So we practiced reframing the narrative, speaking life over ourselves & making room for gratitude. 🙏🏾✨

Then came the ART! 🎨🎒🔥

Using backpacks and canvases as tools for self-expression, the boys created pieces rooted in identity, incorporating nicknames, meaningful colors, symbols, places they grew up, interests, affirmations & pieces of their stories.

That’s the heartbeat of Created2Create 🎨💗 bringing creators and healers together to create spaces where young people can express, reflect, connect & grow🙏🏾🙌🏾💯

And we’re JUST getting started! 🔥 Tap in, share the movement, support the work & stay tuned for our next #C2C experience. There’s so much more to CREATE🎨

#Created2Create #ArtTherapyThursday

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Setting students up for success, one fantastic event at The Fields at a time. ✏️🌟

We had 1,000 DC students and their families visit The Fields at RFK for @DYRSDC’s annual Back-2-School event, where they gave away free backpacks, haircuts, school supplies, and more. 📚

Families also connected with 12 government agencies, community partners, and local schools who were onsite to help them put their best foot forward this school year.

Looking for somewhere to hold your next event? Learn more about renting space at The Fields at RFK at the link in our bio.

#WashingtonDC #BackToSchool #DCcommunity

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