As the Lead English Learner Mentor at Promesa Boyle Heights, I facilitated a Self-Care Cube art workshop for 30 students at a community middle school in Boyle Heights. This group of students is composed of individuals born outside the United States who have either recently arrived or been in the country for less than two years.

In the workshop, students were invited to design their own self-care cubes, identifying six self-care practices to help reduce anxiety, stress, and depression while also improving their focus in the classroom. I chose this activity because, during a recent team meeting, we recognized that many students could benefit from targeted support with social and emotional learning to help them develop skills for managing emotions, setting goals, and building relationships.

The newcomer students come from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds, each with varying levels of prior educational experience. Among them are non-Spanish speakers from Ukraine and Brazil. Many of the students have faced interpersonal challenges and experienced trauma on their journeys to the U.S., including difficult separations from family and friends.

At the beginning of our session, some students hesitated to participate. However, they eventually became engaged, creating their self-care cubes and even taking them home. One participant chose to list their self-care practices rather than drawing each one and, after the workshop, eagerly shared which self-care activity they planned to incorporate more regularly to manage their stress.

In our grounding circle at the end of the workshop, I observed that students recognized the importance of self-care for managing stress, supporting emotional well-being, and prioritizing both mental and physical health. This workshop offered a therapeutic way for students to incorporate self-care and creativity into their lives.