As ICE raids intensified across Los Angeles, Alliance Morgan McKinzie High School, located in East LA, responded by creating opportunities for connection and support for its school community, who were navigating heightened stress and uncertainty. Through LA County Department of Arts and Culture’s Creative Wellbeing program, the school was able to incorporate healing-centered arts engagement into that broader effort.
We were invited to provide support for parents and caregivers to connect, express themselves creatively, and explore restorative practices they could carry into their daily lives with their families. We developed an experientially-based program of eight 75-minute sessions using visual art and drumming to explore ways of coping with stress, noticing and expressing emotions, building self-awareness and self-affirmation, and creating space for authentic connection and conversation through shared creative experiences.
Our two facilitators, Nadia Paredes and Julio Hanson, with the help of a dedicated school staff member, observed the emergence of a deeper level of support among parents and caregivers even after only two sessions, which encouraged engagement with the creative process. One participant shared, “I was so happy I came today, as I was hesitant. But everything we discussed was so meaningful for me and something I needed to hear. Thank you.”
Additionally, we quickly discovered that our co-faciliation model enhanced the overall experience of participants. Working in partnership allowed Nadia and Julio to balance leadership and support, adapt to participant needs in real time, and ensure all felt included. As an example, while Nadia led the arts activity, Julio would move between groups offering encouragement and guidance. This collaborative approach helped participants, particularly those more reserved, to engage more readily.
Across the sessions, parents and caregivers created time and space for themselves—and one another—to express fear, anxiety, longing, sadness, and worry while also experiencing connection, grounding, and moments of joy.
For the parents and caregivers of Alliance Morgan McKinzie, incorporating the arts into daily life helped to provide a vital space to breathe, connect, and process what was happening. Whether opting to tap out a pan con queso rhythm on a table when anxiety started to build or taking 20 minutes as a family to create a feelings jar when frustration was running high, harder days and moments could become more manageable.
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