The Verde Valley Sanctuary’s Youth Empowerment Services program and the Cottonwood Public Library are partnering to provide a summer reading program for kids ages 5 to 11.
Each class will revolve around self-empowerment and awareness and cover topics such as bullying, peer pressure, relaxation, empathy and self-esteem. The program will start on June 5 and run through July 25, taking place every Monday and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at the library.
The YES program is intended to equip young people with the skills to resist violence and abuse. They teach courses year-round at schools in the Verde Valley.
“Our ultimate goal is to reduce interpersonal violence by helping young people identify their feelings,” said Vivien Mann, director of community-based advocacy at VVS. The program uses engagement activities that help the children retain the information being taught.
Amanda Majewski, a prevention specialist for YES, explained what some of the classes will cover. One class will focus on stress. Kids will do a guided meditation and make worry boxes to hold notes talking about whatever is worrying them. They will also get to wear a backpack full of rocks to emphasize what it’s like to carry around the weight of stress all the time.
The program focuses on teaching a set of views on what is healthy versus what is unhealthy, such as healthy versus unhealthy friendships and relationships, as well as self-interest and the importance of setting boundaries.
“The goal is for the kids to have a better understanding of who they are individually and be able to handle situations in the most healthy aspect,” Majewski said.
Both Mann and Majewski said that feelings are a big part of the program and students should be able to recognize those feelings.
“All of our feelings are okay, it’s how we handle them is what’s important,” Majewski claimed.
Mann claimed that anger is not an unhealthy emotion and that there are healthy ways to express it. They aim to honor and affirm all of the feelings of the children within the boundaries of adult authority.
Majewski noted that many kids don’t know the definition of compassion and often confuse it with passion. She stressed the importance of being aware of other people and their feelings, having empathy and refraining from judgment.
