outcomes and reflection

Instagram Stats


Well, this year did not go exactly as we planned due to Covid 19,  but it was productive in many ways.

The highlights of the year so far are:
1.   We had a  fun retreat where we bonded with new members and planned our projects for the year.  We   also had a  theater company come and partner with us and train us on using theater for social justice. 

2.   We completed  12 classroom presentations on Mindfulness and updated our content. 

3.   We provided 4 lunch activities for students to make stressballs, bracelets, listen to music and relax. 
      
4.  We are developing a new website on WIX where we will host our Mindfulness Fair VIRTUALLY this year!

5.  We also were very active on instagram this year.  We used the platform to communicate with other teams        and to post mindfulness practices for our followers.  We have 123 posts and 209 followers.  Our activities          included posting both content and live feed of our projects.  We will be using our instagram account to go live during the Mindfulness Fair on May 29, 2020.


Based on feedback from students and staff, and our own reflection on our work, we feel that we have met our goals for the year.  We are especially proud that we are taking on the new challenge of creating a virtual mindfulness fair this year while also taking AP exams and completing our classes on line.  

We have all of our data and evaluations on campus and we don't have access to them at this time.  We reached out to a few of the freshmen students for statements and they were all very supportive.  

This is what some  students had to say and it is indicative of the responses that we received on the evaluations. 

​"I found the presentation to be a relaxing and welcoming experience.  It showed me the importance of just living in the moment and not worrying about the future!"     -Hannah, Freshman in Dance Academy


"One thing I really enjoyed about the mindfulness presentation was taking time to stop and just listen.  We did an activity where we couldn't talk while the other person talked for one minute, we just had to listen.  We had to be with our thoughts and listen to theirs.  This was harder than it sounds but made such a difference.  it has caused me to stop and listen when I'm talking to a friend, having a class discussion, or just listening to the birds chirp outside - really powerful"  
 -  Catalina B. -  Freshman, Dance

Team Member Reflections 

 - Being a part of Girls Build has been incredible.  I have loved being involved with  a team of amazing girls and being able to inform others about mindfulness. bout the club as a whole.  We have been able to grow as a club through the work we have done on campus, and with each other.  From doing presentations together or starting instagram challenges, we have grown as a team and it has been an honor to be a part of it.   I have loved being able to not only educate others about mindfulness and the benefits of practicing it, but learn more about it myself.  With every freshman presentation and every lunch activity, I learn more about mindfulness and about the club as a whole.  We have been able to grow as a team through the work we have done on campus, and with each other.  From doing presentations together or starting instagram challenges, we have grown as a team and it has been an honor to be a part of it.  -​Amber Goring, Senior,  Dance Academy

To accomplish our mission of spreading mindfulness throughout our school, VAPA’s Girls Build LA team provided mindfulness presentations for the freshman class and organized mindfulness activities at lunch for the student body to enjoy. One of our lunch activities was stress ball making, where our team set up a few tables where any student or faculty member could make a simple stress ball with a balloon and flour. Our hope was that they could use them to let out pent up energy during a stressful lesson, exam or day in general. Having coping mechanisms for stress will help keep our student body within their windows of tolerance so that they can make sure to stay mindful and prioritize their wellbeing. Many students and teachers kept their stress balls for the rest of the year and used them when they needed to. During the mindfulness presentations, we went over what mindfulness is as well as ideas and techniques relating to it. Some of our activities included using the square breathing technique and teaching our freshman mindful communication and mindful eating.  Overall, our freshman seemed to really enjoy the experience and valued the lessons of mindfulness we taught them.   - Dempsey Bradshaw, Visual Arts Academy
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