As the School Support Services Coordinator at Para Los Niños, one of my key roles is to train and supervise master’s-level social work trainees.  A focus of this training is equipping them to support our students’ social-emotional learning. Our student population consists of primary and secondary students who live in or near the Skid Row area in downtown Los Angeles.  

With this art workshop, Igniting My Inner Light, the goal was to help trainees explore their identity as social workers and reconnect with what fueled their fire to go into this line of work, their “why” or sense of calling.

During the workshop, trainees were provided with various art supplies—markers, crayons, colored pencils, and pastels—so they could work with materials they felt the most comfortable with. 

Each trainee had the opportunity to share their personal journey into social work, tapping into vulnerability as they opened up about the experiences that led them to this career. They also had the chance to brainstorm how they could adapt this workshop for use in individual counseling sessions or small group work. This sharing helped the trainees build deeper connections with each other and it gave me a greater understanding of how to support them through their journey here at Para Los Niños.

Many of the trainees expressed how much they loved the art activity, which makes me even more excited to equip them with another tool to support their students’ emotional growth.