I facilitated the Community Gratitude Tree workshop during our recent program meeting with our Domestic Violence Program staff. The goal of the workshop was to provide staff with an intentional space to reflect on gratitude and build connection with one another.

Prior to the creation process, I shared a little bit of information on the importance of gratitude and research behind the positive impacts of gratitude (The Science and Spirit of Gratitude | Media and Public Relations | Baylor University). At each table, I provided some printed out gratitude reflections and prompts and invited staff to share as they felt comfortable. After about 5-10 minutes, we did a larger group share out for anyone who wished to participate.

We then moved into the creative portion of the workshop. I played music from the AWBW workshop playlists while staff wrote their reflections on paper leaves, which were then added to the shared tree display. Staff expressed appreciation for having time to create, reflect, and contribute to a collective art piece. The workshop was really well received, and the group decided to keep the Gratitude Tree on display in the conference room as an ongoing reminder of appreciation and connection.

Since we have staff who work evenings and overnights, I was able to leave some blank leaves for anyone who wasn’t able to attend the workshop so they can add to it in their own time. We have an incredible funder who supports staff wellness initiatives, and through this we were able to purchase gratitude journals as a staff gift to pair with the workshop!