I have the privilege of working with the youth that come into Xquisite.
These young ladies are so amazingly strong, resilient and beautiful. Once you get to know them and start to pull back some of the layers of the hard shells that they present with you begin to see and understand the root of the cause of why they are acting out and getting in trouble. Many of the youth that we get to work with have been referred to us by the local Juvenile Probation Office.
They are getting in trouble for a wide range of things such as fighting, substance use, domestic violence, gang involvement to name a few. These young ladies come from different walks of life and different life circumstances but when you take the time talk to them, one thing that the majority of them all have in common is unstable relationships with their mothers. These girls are hurting and wanting to be seen, believed, accepted and loved more than anything else. They are searching for these things and finding them in all the wrong places most of the time. This opens them up to being more vulnerable and putting them in dangerous situations.
Here at Xquisite we walk alongside these young ladies and show them they have incredible potential and value. It is not easy by any means; in such a short period of time these girls have been through things that should never have happened to them, but the walk is so humbling. These girls come in ashamed, embarrassed and searching for their life to make some sort of sense again. There is nothing like it when you are working with them and for even just a brief moment you can see that they feel safe and understood.
Earlier this year when talking to the girls about what they wanted the group to look like and be called within minutes they said J.E.W.L.S for the name. They went even further and made it meaningful for them and created an acronym for J.E.W.L.S and it stands for Journey Embracing Wisdom Loyalty Success. Over the summer we came together two hours a week and had a meal together where they sometimes would make the meal and then did art activities that focused on their emotions, dealing with difficulties, their dreams, how they see themselves vs. how the world sees them, core values, building a strong support team/who they truly can depend on and looking where they want to go not letting things hold them back.
Now that school is back in session we have shifted and will continue to meet for one hour a week. We will be going through some curriculum that has been chosen that focuses on building self-esteem, setting and achieving goals, fostering self-trust, sharing personal stories in a secure setting, developing friendships, promoting healthy living free from drugs and alcohol, and understanding what healthy relationships look like as they navigate their future. We will also be providing a meal that they can take home, as much of the time these girls are hungry and for most it might be the only meal they get over the weekend until they return to school.
Working together to help get these young ladies get all the resources and support they need to start building the life they want and deserve is an honor.
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