As part of DCYF’s commitment to providing therapeutic and trauma-informed environments for youth in the agency’s care, Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) has launched exciting collaborations and partnerships to bring creativity, resilience, and healing to young people at Echo Glen Children’s Center. For the 2022-23 school year, DCYF is partnering with Pongo Poetry Project, First Sight Productions (FSP), and Echo Glen School to provide therapeutic poetry writing workshops and filmmaking to students at Echo Glen.
One young person’s poetry has been transformed into a short film, titled Walk One Mile. The video invites viewers into the lives of Echo Glen residents, asking them to try on different shoes and experience life from their unique perspective.
“I want you to walk one mile, just one, in my shoes,” says the reader. “Do they fit? If not, then maybe you can understand why I am the way I am.”
This touching video was filmed by Echo Glen students with voiceovers from students at Mount Si High School. Providing our youth with an opportunity to write about and visually tell their lived experiences is both therapeutic and rewarding. It strengthens writing, organizational, and technical skills while helping youth claim their stories, fostering personal growth.
Watch the video here!