Creating Calm & Creative Connection: Group Wellness Sessions for Justice-Impacted Youth
At Upward Together, we believe every young person deserves access to calming practices, creative tools, and spaces that support their emotional wellbeing — especially those impacted by the justice system.
Our interactive group wellness sessions at the Capo Center, in partnership with Project Fatherhood, are made possible thanks to generous support from AHJN and LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
Designed specifically for justice-impacted youth, many of whom carry the weight of stress, trauma, and uncertainty. Rather than offering solutions, we focused on creating space — for slowing down, for expression, and for safe connection.
✺ What Our Sessions Included
Each session was rooted in calm, creativity, and choice. Youth were invited to engage through:
🕯 Aromatherapy + Grounding Tools
We began with a calming environment: soft lighting, a curated essential oil blend for nervous system support (lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus), and a few minutes of mindful breathing.
🎨 Open-Ended Art Supplies
Participants received individual creative kits — filled with sketchpads, markers, collage materials, and prompts for creative self-reflection. There were no rules, just freedom to explore.
💬 Sharing Circles & Story Prompts
Through gentle, optional reflection questions — like “What color matches how you feel today?” or “What does safety look like?” — we encouraged vulnerability without pressure. Youth could share aloud, write privately, or respond visually through art.
💡 Creative Ritual & Closing
Each session ended with a moment of quiet or affirmation, allowing participants to carry a sense of agency and completion with them. Many chose to take home their artwork, small oil rollers, or journaling prompts as personal anchors.
✺ Why This Matters
Justice-impacted youth often navigate environments filled with chaos, surveillance, and survival. Our aim at Upward Together is to offer the opposite — environments that prioritize safety, softness, and self-expression.
Programs like this one demonstrate that creative wellbeing is not a luxury — it's a necessity. For youth navigating reentry or systems involvement, having a space to feel seen and soothed can be life-changing.
✺ Thank You to Our Partners
This work wouldn’t be possible without the heartfelt collaboration of Project Fatherhood, and the generous support of AHJN (Arts for Healing and Justice Network) and the LA County Department of Arts & Culture. Your belief in arts-based healing is helping reshape what support looks like for our youth.
✺ Want to Learn More?
If your organization works with justice-involved or system-impacted youth, and you’d like to bring calming, creative group sessions to your space, we’d love to talk.