Samadhi Williamson

Over the past month, there has been a lot of transition with the end of the College/Career unit, and the beginning of some mini units. I'm transitioning to more hands on learning, and making sure that everyone is participating. We did a science experiment where I explained the science behind Oobleck, and next week we will be doing something similar with balloons. I had some of the girls present their college/career plans, and it was super interesting to see what they had learned. Overall I'm super excited for what's to come next, and what they will find the most interest in.

During this event, we went to the High Art Museum. Me, my mentee, and her sister were able to meditate in an (event/exhibit) and participate in interactive activities. We also were able to see a lot of cool, diverse art types.

During this time period, we dove deeper into the college/career topic, and also had a guest speaker! The guest speaker, Alisa Daniel, talked about her own college decision process, and the girls asked a lot of questions. In the weeks following the informative talk, the girls started their final project which is essentially a "journey to college".

This event was super fun and me and my mentee definitely bonded! We painted at a table together.

During this time period, we mainly focused on the college/career planning lessons. The girls seemed very into it, especially Selena, given that she is already in high school. We mainly focused on things that the admissions committee may be looking for, and did fun activities pertaining to that. Also started thinking about potential guest speakers.

This event was for the end of year holiday party. During this event, I was able to bond with my mentee by participating in fun games with her and overall having an enjoyable bonding session.

Over the past month, a lot has happened with the girls club. To start, the girls worked in groups of 2-3 on their final project for the mental health and wellness unit, which was a wellness skit. They presented these skits the week after thanksgiving, demonstrating what they have learned. I then started brainstorming and working on the next unit. For this unit, the focus will be college and career readiness, focusing on things such as options after high school, admissions advice, and mapping out a general plan.

Over the past two weeks, we have been working on wrapping up the mental health unit for the club. The 7th meeting focused on presenting the mental health vision boards, which the girls seemed to really enjoy. In addition, we had a lesson on mental health disorders, which I was able to get a good amount of participation from. For this week's meeting, the girls spent the entire time brainstorming and creating a script for their mental health and wellness skits that they will most likely present in two or three weeks. Overall, things have been getting better in terms of engagement, and I feel like I have been making interesting lessons.

During this event we visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to learn about the history of civil rights. There were a lot of interesting exhibits such as an arts exhibit that showcased (mainly) black art on the topic of black rights. In addition, there was an exhibit downstairs that showed the history of the civil rights era, focusing on interactive pieces.

Over the past few weeks, we have still been working through the mental health unit as well as deepening our bond as a group. I created small activities such as a "mental health wellness board," in order to encourage participation. Have also developed a new way to "call on people" by using spin the wheel and allowing them to type in chat instead of forcing to say verbally.