One parent called it “refreshing”, another said it “helped us release many things from our hearts that caused us pain”. They are talking about the new Cafecito por la Tarde program for parents with students in Identity’s elementary school enrichment programs. The Afternoon Coffee group met virtually for an hour each week, and over coffee and pastry, staff led them in discussions focused on subjects like resilience and communication. It became a safe place to share personal stories and learn ways to strengthen their protective skills as the stressors of the pandemic continue to weigh heavily on our community.
For the last session, parents each created coffee mugs decorated with words that inspire them. One couple shared their inspiration – one wrote “love” and the other “to help”.
One parent summed it up:
“Este programa nos ayudó a sacar de nuestro corazón muchas cosas guardadas que nos causaban dolor. Ahora nos sentimos muchísimo mejor a causa de cada tema y preguntas que se compartieron. Estamos muy contentos y satisfechos con lo que Cafecito por la tarde significo en nuestras vidas.”
This program helped us release many things from our hearts that caused us pain. Now we feel so much better because of each topic and [discussion] question that were shared. We are very happy and satisfied with what cafecito por la Tarde meant in our lives.
Parent participants show each other the mugs they decorated on the final meeting of Cafecito por la Tarde.
Two parents create mugs to represent the things that inspire them.
