​Every spring, we reach out parents and caregivers of the students at our schools who are receiving direct services from our amazing All In staff and ask questions aimed at both lifting up our successes and providing feedback on our area of growth. 

This year, despite all the challenges and barriers faced by parents, students school staff and our teams due to the global pandemic and everyone adopting virtual spaces as the setting of learning and for our services, there is an overwhelming amount to celebrate in the responses. In April, we spoke to 246 parents. These are the percentages compared over the last 3 years of those who agreed with the following statements about the services they received:

It is always wonderful to see the year over year growth but it is truly remarkable to see this positivity in response to the work you all did this year, especially given the presenting challenges we all faced. Of course, we wouldn’t know any of this if it wasn’t for the support of All In staff members themselves making the calls and connecting with all these parents and caregivers on our behalf. This year we had an amazing crew of people who offered their time to support this project. Huge thanks to Juliana Batista, Justin Vizinau, Cedric Guillory, Ali Manrique, Ceci Duran, Jessica Ramos, Brenda Larios, and William Chiang for their time and support!! It is no small feat I assure you.
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The celebrations don’t stop with the numbers though. What parents and caregivers have to say in their own words about out services is also extremely important and informative. In the coming weeks, you will be seeing your school and cluster specific reports and be able to hear both the glowing things parents have to say about you all, and get a chance to review areas of growth offered directly from parents and caregivers. In the meantime, here are a few quotes to wrap up your week your week:

​Under the leadership of Unconditional Education Coach Yvonne Rogers, the Verde K-8 Stars were awarded The Neighborhood Public Art Grant by the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission for the third year in a row to fund a new art project! This year the theme is “To the Moon and Back.” The goal of the project would be to:

​The project will consist of art created by Fred Alvarado, Keena Romano, and Enrique Carpio, inspired by Verde’s students and the visions that they have for their future.  The mural will depict things that students share bring them joy. In addition, a mini documentary will be created to memorialize the creation of the mural. The documentary is meant to weave the journey of creating the mural and include interviews of Verde’s community members to share about what they do to bring joy into their lives, and how joy can encourage healing.  Stay tuned for updates on the finished product! 

Emiliano Zapata’s Street Academy is a unique place. They take an integrated approach to health, knowing that academic success is only achievable if students are well in the deepest sense. Their focus on social justice and emotional wellness are supported in part by our amazing Seneca therapist, Aurielle Zeitler. Aurielle has spent the past two years serving Street Academy’s students, families and staff. Since schools closed just over one year ago, Aurielle has been a lifeline for her students, meeting with them virtually one on one and in small groups to help them stay connected to their peers, teachers and academics. 

I​n high school, students are exploring their identities and their interests, ultimately choosing pathways that will influence the course of their futures. At Street Academy, students not only take required classes, but also participate in a variety of internships that help them gain experience they can use in their future careers. This has been particularly challenging during COVID, and Aurielle has supported her students through this difficult time by providing a space for students to think, reflect and explore who they are and where they are headed. 

​Street Academy is a small, close-knit community - and school staff serve as counselor-teacher-mentors (CTM’s) to a small group of students. Aurielle often partners with CTM’s to “wrap” support around students to help them be successful overall. COVID and distance learning has taken its toll on the Street Academy community, but our partnership continues to thrive. Just recently, Aurielle returned to campus and several students came to school JUST to see her! The reunion was deeply meaningful by all accounts. We look forward to evolving with Street Academy in the years ahead!

​Name: Yesabel (Yesi) Inga
Position: Bilingual Clinician
What led you to your current position? What brought me to this work is partly my idealistic side. What brought me to my current position is a deep sense of community, wanting to give back and being part of something bigger and meaningful. I started working at Seneca as a Mental Health Counselor knowing I wanted to become a therapist eventually. Once I got to see what Seneca had to offer, I created a career plan to become a well-rounded therapist. I started at JBA working with Middle schoolers, moved to CEC with MacSelpa at Tennyson High School, then Program Assistant & HIS with Mosaic Outpatient while I went to graduate school through the Seneca embedded program, did my internship with Mosaic Outpatient at Guy Emmanuel Elementary and I am now an All-In! therapist at Bridges Academy Elementary. It was the natural next step. It's been quite an exciting and adventurous ride! I have met truly amazing, knowledgeable people that inspire me to become a better therapist.
What inspires you to do this work? My inspiration to do this work comes from my family, my culture, and my ancestors. My parents and my sister are my biggest inspiration. My parents did so much for my sister and I; they were not just good enough parents, they gave us their all. They were not perfect, they made mistakes but in despite those mistakes, and life challenges they inspired us to persevere and to become helping hands to others. They intentionally broke intergenerational cycles of trauma, they worked multiple jobs and had side hustles to provide us with quality education and spent quality time with us, as much as possible. They migrated to the U.S. to keep us safe from terrorism, and to give us a chance at a better life. Against all odds, my sister and I went to Graduate school to be helpers/healers; my sister is an RN soon to be a Nurse Practitioner and I am an MFT. We were given so much love and support, we have a deep desire to give back to others, especially in our community, we want others to have a chance to have what we had and more. We want to be the people and professionals we needed when we were younger. The need for mental health is huge in the Latinx community and other communities of color, so I want to help break cycles of trauma, and poverty, I know I can do it through activism and quality mental health work. I want to help children become healthy and successful adults, be the best they can be, and I want to help parents heal so they can support their kids in that journey. I am a proud descendant of the Incas, and my inspiration also comes from my culture and my ancestors and all the ones that sacrificed and gave it all so I could be here.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work? The most recent highlight in the work has to be my recent trip to Houston to support at an unaccompanied minor’s shelter. I am not sure I can put into words the enormity of the impact and the many lessons learned during that week. There is a deep sense of heartbreak mixed with hope and resilience, sprinkled with disappointment and rage, and topped with compassion and a sense of pride that I'm still working through. I met so many inspiring young girls that had gone through so much in their short lives; they are the definition of survivors, resiliency, and hope. I also learned that compassion for children doesn't come natural to everyone, and there's a lot of work left to do so children don't have to live through unimaginable trauma, and be treated so poorly by be ones that are supposed to help them. One of the highlights was being surrounded by other caring Senecans that were as committed to provide hope, support, and compassion to hundreds of kids in crisis.
Share your life motto: "Lo vivido y lo bailado no te lo quita nadie" (what you've lived and danced can't be taken away by anyone)

Name: Doug Woodson
Position: Therapist
What led you to your current position? The path taken to my current position has traveled through the NPS schools, community outreach programs and currently enjoying supporting students and staff in a school partnership. I have come to realize no matter what part of Seneca you work in they are all providing valuable support and guidance for people in need.
What inspires you to do this work? My drive to do this work comes from personal trials that have led me to see the value of someone who can listen, encourage, and hold the experience of our young black and brown youth in a way that relates to their daily life. 
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work? I have been working with this family for over a year and building trust has been a journey of peaks and valleys. However, over the past 3 weeks both client and caregiver have been highly engaged in the therapeutic process while seeking mindfulness practices to become more grounded. I was so surprised I giggled out loud and then happily processed, guided, and equipped the family to practice mindfulness. 
Share your life motto: You’re a good deal... invest more into yourself.