Embracing a Mindful Summer with LET
Embracing a Mindful Summer with LET
While SCI’s Leaders for an Equitable Tomorrow (LET) interns Jacoby Altman, Luke Sheldon, and Valery Verdier strategized program plans for the upcoming school year, activities related to mental health and social justice were also sprinkled throughout their summer.
Luke and Jacoby recently attended a workshop with the Network for Social Justice’s LET interns called Self-Care and Mental Health: Support for Social Justice Work. Facilitated by Katie Pereira, a Winchester resident and former middle school principal, the LET team reflected on their current self-care activities. Pereira then shared an art activity that can be incorporated into a self-care routine. The LET team drew lines on paper and used water-colored paints to color in between the lines.
Following the art activity, the group reflected on self-care goals. With the approach of the school year and college applications, several LET interns expressed themes of gratitude for a moment to feel present.
In July, the LET interns had a field trip to the Royall House & Slave Quarters in Medford. In the eighteenth century, sitting on over 600 acres of land, this site was a plantation home to the Royalls, the largest slaveholding family in Massachusetts.
The immersive tour was led by Toni Waldron, the organization’s Education Coordinator. Waldron was an excellent tour guide and storyteller who captivated the minds of the LET team. During the tour, several members of the LET team expressed that it was uncommon to learn about slavery in the North since the country’s history with slavery is often only associated with the South.
About LET
The LET program is a joint initiative of SCI and the Network for Social Justice. LET is dedicated to youth mental health, with an intersectional framework that recognizes how racism, socioeconomic inequality, and other social issues can influence mental health and well-being.
