In the last year I have transitioned into being the Case Management Services Manager at the YWCA. I have switched from direct service to being a support person for the Case Management Team.

I have always loved AWBW and a goal has been to incorporate activities into my monthly meetings with my team in this new role, which are geared toward self-care, since they are always caring for others.

I thought the workshop Exploring Your Unique Textures would give the staff a chance to see how things show up for them in the smooth and rough parts of their lives and not only reflect on that but notice that we bring these things into the meetings we have with clients, into work, etc.

The staff has seemed to really enjoy not only this workshop but many others. One staff shared: “I’ve really enjoyed everything we’ve done so far. I think the ones about self-acceptance and self-love have stuck out the most to me.”

Another staff shared a poem they wrote:

Not You; Yes, You

No, not you, they said
You are grace, wisdom, and fun
You are brave, righteous, and just
We can’t see you being sad, lonely, or lost
We don’t want to see you sad, lonely, or lost
I am grace, I am wisdom, and I am fun

I am also brave, righteous, and just
But I am also sad, lonely, and lost
Sometimes
I am also sad, lonely, and lost
No, don’t be sad because I can be sad
Don’t be sad because I can be lonely
Don’t be sad because I can be lost… Sometimes
But it is because I can be vulnerable
That I am human
That I am like you, and you are like me