As life seems to go, what we had initially planned transformed into something a little different and possibly better. We had initially planned on using this grant for our pre-teen moon circle program which we have been running for the past year but decided we wanted to shift into offering a circle for teens as well. What better way than to offer a special evening of connection, grounding and learning for free!
The original facilitators we had hoped to come ended up not being available but we knew that with a good amount of notice. I ended up reaching out to a local woman who host women’s circles and retreats. Martina Wall is a mom, wife, author, motivational speaker, yoga teacher, chakra healer and body positive advocate. Martinas intuitive approach to self-love is bringing connection back to the body through practices like mindful movement, mindful eating & body image work. She also guides women to spiritual connection with tools like meditation, aromatherapy, crystals, chakra healing & card reading. She has also worked with teens in a school counsellor setting. She was absolutely thrilled to come help us kick off our first teen circle. All together we had 3 facilitators. Myself, Martina and Kaila Greenlees. Kaila has been hosting and and leading circles for 10 years. A Mother, Doula, Early Childhood Educator, and community family support worker, Kaila values supporting people in community to develop values and skills that not only benefit themselves but support a healthy community as a whole. Increasing awareness, thoughtfulness, gratitude, respect, self-reflection, and empowering people of all ages are top of Kaila’s to-do list.
We advertised through Facebook, email, word of mouth and posters in the high school. Attendance wasn’t as high as we hoped with a few last minute cancellations but we had such an empowering and impactful time with the teens that did come. We started circle with snacks, an introduction of ourselves, the grant and went through guidelines on how to make this time a safe space for everyone. I went on to share about the moon phases and how they could support us at this time in our lives. Kaila led us through a wonderful grounding meditation. Martina took over with her introduction on crystals and how we can use them in our life and then took us on a journey with a beautiful sound bath. We were all able to try the crystal bowls as well. Throughout circle, the teens asked questions and shared experiences and stories. At the end they were able to share their experience of the evening. It was incredible to witness and hear how impactful it was for them, the connections they felt in their bodies, and parallels in their lives. It was an honour to be able to share that time with them and also encouraging to know that there is a need in our community for a space like this for our teen girls. Each girl was gifted a journal and 4 small crystals to take home.
I did ask for snack donations from our local groceries stores but never received a reply. I hope to make that connection for future circles.
We have learnt the importance of being flexible and open to new ideas, understanding that things are not always going to go as planned. Embracing the unknown (working with teens!) and being pleasantly surprised with the outcome! Realizing that when someone is a no that leaves room for the person who is a yes! When asking for donations face to face is best, which I did try to do several times but the timing never seemed to line up.
We can not express our gratitude for this grant enough. The magic, connection and friendship that will blossom from this experience is priceless and we know that that is only going to grow and spread as we continue offering these circles for teens. Thank you!!
