At Goodman, weekly check-ins provide outlets for social/emotional conversations and leadership

By Howard Hayes, GCC assistant director of youth and community development

In response to the growing youth mental health crisis, the Goodman Community Center’s LOFT team partnered with YWCA Madison this past year to offer weekly restorative justice circles for our seventh and eighth graders. These regular check-in conversations provided an incredible social/emotional outlet and leadership opportunity for the kids involved. GCC hopes to continue this important program next year.

Mya Williams, restorative justice coordinator for the YWCA, started working with our kids in November.

“She had them hooked from the beginning,” Arthur Morgan, Goodman’s longtime family advocacy manager, said. “We intentionally curated the group to include at least one representative from various cliques within the LOFT.”

To set a comfortable tone from the outset, Williams coined the restorative justice circles conversations as “tea time” and she provided clear rules of engagement from the outset.

“Mya set up the group’s ‘basics to boogie.’ Then she started learning all about the kids by asking them to share a story about what happened over the past week,” Morgan said. “She followed up with questions like ‘Why do you think that person did that?’ Then she would work with them to break down the drama and explore all the reasons behind it.”

Over time, the kids’ weekly conversation and approach to tea time evolved. They became more comfortable with each other and allowed themselves to be vulnerable, sharing personal stories with the group each week. Arthur recalled one tea time when a deeply serious, personal story was shared.

“She was telling her story through tears while her peers listened respectfully and ultimately reassured her that everything would be OK,” Morgan said. “Then they shared with her some tips and tricks for managing the situation.”

Tea time at Goodman focuses our youth on community building, social justice, conflict resolution, nonviolent communication and the collective sharing of their experiences in and out of school. YWCA Madison is also training them in restorative justice practices to help support their peers.

In fact, three youth became so fluent in the work that YWCA invited them to co-lead four to five restorative justice circles with youth from other schools and programs. Can you imagine being a middle schooler, co-leading a conversation with high schoolers?

LOFT staff are building courage, curiosity and connection in collaboration with the youth. We’re excited by the powerful community building this program offers, in addition to the leadership, facilitation and social and emotional skills that will ultimately benefit youth in all types of careers and ventures beyond Goodman.

Next year, Goodman aims to start paying these rising ninth graders to lead tea time circles for our emerging seventh and eighth graders. We’ll also continue our partnership with the YWCA to further train staff and steep ourselves into this work. Ultimately, we hope to brew productive ways for kids to help guide us in deciding how to handle difficult situations for themselves and each other.