Greater Denver CARES was created due to an unmet need for additional supports for students. Our focus on culturally significant mental health and wellness support, academic and emotional literacy enhancement to Denver's BIPOC youth. GDC aims to fill the gaps in accessibility and understanding by providing programming designed to improve mental health outcomes and educational opportunities.
The Rising consists of wellness circles (WCs) that students in small cohorts of 8-10 participate in usually twice per week, depending on the school. Students participate in drum circles, Afro-Samba dance, Ghanian breakfast experiences. We have also had students participate in the outdoors through our collaboration with Vibe Tribe, attend plays To Kill A Mockingbird, The Color Purple. The Baldwin Project utilizes affirmation workshops like Loving Your Big Little Self for grades 1-2 and also offers creative writing, journaling activities. Students also participate in a student-led book club in addition to participating in author events in collaboration with The Bookies Bookstore in Denver. We also collaborate with Therapists of Color Collaborative to provide additional modalities of healing to students in schools we have partnered with.
During the 2022-2023 school year, we served 115 students. During the 2023-2024 school year, we have served 979 students so far. We anticipate that over the next two years of programming and the addition of schools that we will reach 1,728 additional students through programming. This incredible growth of our programs has leadership confident that we will reach and possibly exceed our anticipated reach. With many more schools expressing interest including those in Aurora and Cherry Creek we know that there is interest and demand for more student supports from school leadership.
The best thing to do to try it is reach out! Witnessing students be open, vulnerable, compassionate and supportive of their peers is something that you definitely need to be a part of to experience and be impacted by.
If this is something you want to try and implement, get out in your community and talk to families, teachers and school leaders to see what the current pulse of the community is.
