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When artist Damon Davis went to join the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after police killed Michael Brown in 2014, he found not only anger but also a sense of love for self and community. His documentary "Whose Streets?"

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Being open and vulnerable with your loneliness, sadness and fear can help you find comfort and feel less alone, says writer and artist Jonny Sun. In an honest talk filled with his signature illustrations, Sun shares how telling stories about feeling like an outsider helped him tap into an unexpected community and find a tiny sliver of light in the darkness.

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JOY IS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE: HOW CELEBRATION SUSTAINS ACTIVISM

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JOY IS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE: HOW CELEBRATION SUSTAINS ACTIVISM

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The Aesthetics of Joy by Ingrid Fetell Lee

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"Joy is an act of resistance." It's almost a platitude in the Trump era, visible across Instagram on embroidered banners and fine calligraphy, on t-shirts and tote bags. But what does this phrase really mean? Is joy actually a form of resistance to oppression, or is this phrase just a comforting balm to counter the guilt we feel when we find ourselves feeling good in a world that's burning?

None of us want to be the rich people on the Titanic, sipping champagne in black tie while the water rises. But while there are good reasons to fear complacency, joy is fundamentally different than turning a blind eye. I've been thinking about these questions for a long time, and I believe there are at least six ways that joy can sustain activism. This week, with one year to go until the next U.S. presidential election, it seemed a good time to dig in and share a kind of blueprint for the intentional use of joy to foster change.

Joy is a propulsive force

It's a curious feature of autocratic regimes that forms of joy are often banned. Music is a common one. In China under Mao, listening to the music of Beethoven was a crime. Folk or traditional music is typically condemned, such as in Nazi Germany, which targeted Jewish music. But contemporary hits are just as suspect; the Soviet Union, for example, censored songs by artists as varied as AC/DC, Tina Turner, and Julio Iglesias. In communist Albania, the regime of Enver Hoxha famously banned the saxophone. In Trinidad, the British banned drumming.

Dancing was similarly reviled, and all types of celebration found themselves in the crosshairs of European colonists setting out to spread Christianity and "civilization" around the world. Local authorities often forbade or disrupted native rites, or at minimum made relinquishing them a condition of conversion. Barbara Ehrenreich notes that in South Africa among the Namaquas, it was said that someone who converted to Christianity "had given up dancing."

What dictators know is that joy has a propulsive force, and that anything that gathers and channels that energy threatens to upend the rigid control of a population. Music, dance, art, eroticism: all of these fuel an emotional response that creates momentum, one that can be hard to control. Take, for example, The Singing Revolution: a four-year series of protests involving mass singing demonstrations that swept across Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia between 1987 and 1991, eventually leading to their independence.

Audre Lorde sums this idea up this clearly in her 1978 essay, The Uses of the Erotic, "In order to perpetuate itself, every oppression must corrupt or distort those various sources of power within the culture of the oppressed that can provide energy for change." She goes on to point out that this has often been marshaled in patriarchal societies for the oppression of women. "For women, this has meant a suppression of the erotic as a considered source of power and information within our lives." The denigration of feminine forms of joy, such as romance novels and films, fashion and home decor, is another manifestation of this insidious form of repression.

So, simply put, joy can be considered resistance because it's a form of "energy for change," as Lorde puts it. It counters and contrasts with the rigidity and control of oppressive structures in a non-violent way.

Joy creates unity

The power of celebrations goes beyond the energy they create. I began to realize this when I was studying animal celebrations. Only a few animal species celebrate, and the ones that do have two things in common with humans: they're highly intelligent and highly social. Elephants celebrate when the herd is reunited after a separation, stamping around, peeing, and trumpeting with their trunks. Wolves howl together after a hunt. But the most celebratory of all animals are our closest relatives, the chimpanzees.

Ethologists have observed chimpanzees celebrating the arrival of a caretaker delivering a bunch of blackberry vines, a favored food, to their enclosure. The first chimp to spot the caretaker begins hooting loudly. The hooting spreads among the group, and the chimps begin to hug and kiss each other, with friendly body contact increasing as much as a hundredfold. But what's most remarkable is what happens after these festivities. The whole community sits down to enjoy the feast, with even the lowest-ranking chimps getting to enjoy the treat.

Chimps are extremely hierarchical, so what's notable about these celebrations is that they disrupt the typical hierarchy, prompting a more egalitarian mode of behavior. Celebrations function in much the same way in human life. They smooth tensions and break down barriers. Many of us have had the experience of being annoyed at a coworker, but then going to the company picnic, having a beer and a laugh together, and forgetting our annoyance. Communal joy provides a kind of glue that unifies a group.

There's a deeper effect here too. When psychologists study people engaged in communal singing, dance, or other rhythmic forms of entertainment, they find that we become connected on a physical level. Choir singers heart rates synchronize; musicians playing the same riff have brain waves that line up. These experiences of synchrony create a physiological experience of community, one that can be profoundly unconscious. Studies show that even when strangers move or vocalize together, they become more generous, more altruistic, and more willing to sacrifice their own needs for the good of the group.

Celebratory joy creates unity on an emotional and a physical level, and a unified populace is harder to dominate.

Joy lets us reclaim our humanity

While communal joy represents an outright danger to a repressive regime, individual joy can also empower resistance. One of the ways it does this is by affirming our humanity.

After all, struggles for justice are often also struggles for the acknowledgement of an oppressed group's full humanity. Joy is a sign of vibrant life, of thriving. It is one the things that makes us truly human. So depriving a group of people of joy, whether through an outright ban, or the denigration or shaming of their sources of pleasure, or through economic means, is a method of dehumanization. Reclaiming those sources of joy is a way to refuse to be dehumanized, to reassert our vitality.

Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel described a memory of a fellow prisoner trading a ration of bread for materials with which to piece together a makeshift menorah during Hanukkah. Shocked that the man would trade something so essential to his survival, Wiesel asked him, "Hanukkah in Auschwitz?" And the man replied, "Especially in Auschwitz."

The more dehumanizing the circumstances, the more we need these markers of our humanity. In World War I, soldiers on both sides were known to cultivate gardens in the trenches. In 1915, a soldier named Gotthold von Rohden described a trench adorned with Howitzer cartridge cases that had been used as pots to hold snowdrops. Other soldiers wrote home requesting flower seeds to plant. Whether it's the transcendent joy of sacred ritual or the simple joy of cultivating a garden, the pursuit of joy amid great struggle is a way to tend our humanity when it is most threatened.

"Recognize that pleasure is a measure of freedom," writes Adrienne Maree Brown, author of a book called Pleasure Activism, which takes as its premise that the states of being that activists are striving for, justice and liberation and wellbeing, are highly joyful states, and therefore pleasure can be a powerful tool for helping us achieve them. To be able to choose our joy and experience it, this is the freedom so many are fighting for.

Joy is also a manifestation of abundance. The language of oppression is one of scarcity and fear, and I think to some extent, the activist's goal must be to remind those who have been convinced that progress is a losing game for them that there is in fact enough to go around. To this point, Brown says, "Part of the reason so few of us have a healthy relationship with pleasure is because a small minority of our species hoards the excess of resources, creating a false scarcity and then trying to sell us joy, sell us back to ourselves."

For me, the work of an organization like Publicolor, which paints neglected New York City schools with vibrant colors, restores abundance to a place where this false scarcity has been imposed. It reminds the teachers and students that they are fully human, fully worthy and deserving of a full and beautiful life.

Joy disrupts expectations

We've seen how joy restores, unifies, and propels. But another way that joy can support activism is that it disarms. Joy takes something that might be threatening to people, such as difference or otherness, and makes it less so. Studies show, for example, that feeling joyful can mitigate something called the own-race face bias, where people tend to recognize differences in faces of their own race while failing to distinguish faces of other races from one another.

The rainbow pride flag is one example of a joyful symbol that both unifies activists while also disarming detractors. Watching a pride parade, teeming with people dressed in all shades of ROY G BIV, the line between protest and party blurs, and it's hard to sit on the sidelines in judgment. While we can justifiably be concerned about "rainbow-washing," it's a measure of success that brands and companies see LBGTQ pride as something they're eager (even desperate) to be associated with.

Coming back to Audre Lorde: "The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference." Joy, and celebrations in particular, focus our attention on our commonalities, not our differences.

Aesthetics of joy can also disrupt complacency, drawing much-needed attention to a cause. One of my favorite examples of this is a project called Trash: Any Color You Like, which placed vibrant, polka-dotted trash bags around the streets of New York City. Clad in black plastic bags that blend into the cityscape, the consequences of our disposable culture become almost invisible. But when you see mounds of hot pink trash bags piled on a curb, it offers a striking, yet not aggressive, reminder to be less wasteful. (More on this form of joyful activism here.)

Joy promotes resilience

One of the challenges of activism is that the fights are long, the progress often slow, and the effort required thankless and grueling. As in so many fields, burnout is a serious risk, especially because activist work is rarely well-compensated and because the strong sense of personal responsibility many activists feel makes it hard to take breaks.

For activists, who live with chronic stress, the risk of burnout is physiological. Prolonged states of heightened negative emotion raise blood pressure, cortisol, and respiration rate, putting stress on the cardiovascular system. Rest is vital, but rest alone doesn't create resilience. We also need moments of release and celebration to mark the small victories and restore body and mind. Research shows that small bursts of positive emotion can help reset the body's physical responses to stress, so that people can continue to fight from a place of wellbeing and strength.

True pleasure is more restorative than simply vegging out in front of the TV. Lorde uses the word erotic, meaning a form of deep, sensual (not necessarily sexual) pleasure, but I think you could easily use the word joy if it makes more sense to you: "Recognizing the power of the erotic within our lives can give us the energy to pursue genuine change within our world, rather than merely settling for a shift of characters in the same weary drama."

I've talked a lot about the joy of communal celebration, but we can also find it in nature. Nature, whether the wild forest or a manicured garden, has the power to soothe anxiety, reduce rumination, and restore the ability to focus. One example of this phenomenon is prison gardens. The New York Times recently did a piece on the power of the garden at Riker's Island, which is managed by inmates. Amid the devastating stresses of a prison so inhumane it's being closed, "These gardens help repair the damage that people have been through, both in prison and in their earlier lives." says landscape architect Amy Lindemuth "They are quiet places to be alone with your thoughts away from the cacophony and stress of the prison environment."

Sensory joy is a form of care that contrasts with traumatic circumstances and helps cultivate the resilience needed to counter oppression.

Joy gives rise to hope

And lastly, joy provides a glimpse of a better future that keeps us motivated to work toward it. Hope is an elusive yet vital ingredient for activism. Essentially, hope is the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. Without that belief, there's no point in fighting. Yet even the smallest kernel of it can move nations.

And how do we nurture hope? One way is through joy in the present. It's one thing to be able to envision a better future, but it's another to have a momentary flash of it course through our bodies. As Cara Page says in an interview with Adrienne Maree Brown, "If we're not imagining where we're going, then it will constantly just be pushing back outside from inside of cages, as opposed to imagining what's happening outside of cages." Hope is a form of emotional vision that stokes our motivation and fans the flames of change.

When I think about the question, Is it ok to feel joyful while the world is (literally) on fire, while babies are in cages and glaciers are crumbling and billionaires stand by self-righteously counting their billions, I come back to Jack Gilbert. In his poem, A Brief for the Defense, he writes:
If we deny our happiness, resist satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If we relinquish our joy, we not only lose a profound source of unity, strength, and resilience, we also lose the point of it all. And so "we must risk delight." And we must know that to do so is not a distraction from resistance, but one of its greatest sources of power.

Images: Joy is an Act of Resistance by @rayoandhoney on Instagram; Publicolor before and after courtesy of Publicolor; Trash Any Color You Like by Adrian Kondratowicz.

Give your life a joy makeover!

This exclusive program includes interviews with 11 experts to help you transform every part of your life for joy.

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Joy is an Act of Resistance: How Celebration Sustains Activism - The Aesthetics of Joy by Ingrid Fetell Lee

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It's almost a platitude in the Trump era, visible across Instagram on embroidered banners and fine calligraphy, on t-shirts and tote bags. But is joy actually a form of resistance to oppression, or is this phrase just a comforting balm to counter the guilt we feel when we find ourselves feeling good in a world that's burning?

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Filling our Cups: 4 Ways People of Color can Foster Mental Health and Practice Restorative Healing

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Filling our Cups: 4 Ways People of Color can Foster Mental Health and Practice Restorative Healing

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The strong, Black woman. The Asian " model minority." "" These tropes, expressions, and labels are often used to demonstrate (and even celebrate) the "resiliency" of people of color. But it's a trap. These stereotypes may seem empowering, but beneath the surface, they are damaging. By denying our humanity, we downplay the mental-health effects of racial trauma. We perpetuate the stigma of mental illness in our communities. And we ignore our own pain and suffering.

Mental illness does not discriminate on the basis of identity or background. Why, then, are people of color often silenced, ignored, and excluded from the discussion? White-centricism not only takes over the narrative of mental health, it consumes media representation, access to services/resources, and even community support. People of color aren't visible in this conversation, and that alone impacts our mental health by making it harder for us to believe and identify our struggles.

And people of color not only feel left out, we get left out. Racial minorities in the U.S. are less likely overall to access mental health services for reasons including cultural and socioeconomic barriers. When we DO receive care, it is often poorer quality. Access to culturally competent care is also an obstacle for communities of color. For example, only 5% of psychologists are African Americans. The history of racism in mental health care is well-documented, and even today, there is still clear bias against people of color. From diagnostic disparities to pathologizing and gaslighting those suffering from racial trauma, white mental health practitioners have little sense of cultural competency in serving people of color and can reinforce stigma and induce more harm. When confronted by their lack of knowledge, white therapists often retraumatize us with their own white fragility and rage.

Meanwhile, the social impact is devastating. Our communities are in crisis. People of color are disproportionately more likely to experience race-based trauma and PTSD, with Native Americans experiencing significantly higher rates. Asian-American women have the second highest suicide rate in the country. Islamophobia has taken a mental and physical toll on Muslim Americans with nearly one-fourth suffering from depression. Both Black and Latinx people face higher rates of depression than white people.

Is it any wonder that suicide rates in communities of color are on the rise?

But despite the obstacles we face, our people can heal and our communities can thrive. Our survival and continued existence is a tribute to our strength and resilience. Loving ourselves in the process is radical resistance. But we do not have to give from an empty cup or suffer in silence. Follow this week's call to action to find out how people of color can foster mental health and practice restorative healing.

Normalize mental health as a social justice issue by breaking down barriers to seeking help. Share your narrative as an act of "

Take the Stigma Free Pledge and be conscious of words and language that stigmatize mental illness.

Watch this 3-minute video by writer and activist Imade Nibokun, about depression, the intersection of mental health and social justice, and how the suicide of MarShawn McCarrel was a catalyst for addressing activist self-care.

Visit the People of Color & Mental Illness Photo Project created by Dior Vargas, a Latina feminist mental health care activist, and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Consider submitting your photo to be included in the project.

Read this series that addresses the stigma of mental health in young Asian Americans, "model minority" expectations, and how practitioners, parents, peers, and schools can help break down barriers.

Read the educational fact sheets from Brother, You're on My Mind Toolkit and use their tips and resources for advocacy, community outreach, events, and partnerships for African-American communities.

Keep in mind that the seemingly strongest among us are sometimes the most at risk. Especially those in activist spaces can use uplifting and room for just being and being vulnerable. Reach out, check in, share the load.

#2. Seek Follow Rejuvenate using these resources specifically tailored for people of color. Self-care and self-love are crucial and #4. De-center and de-colonize white supremacy models of mental health and treatment. Seek out, research, and listen to sources of knowledge from marginalized, underserved, and neglected communities about mental health beliefs, healing, and community needs. Endorse multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. radical acts of resistance. these 3 tips to finding mental health care from My Brown Box. Look at recommendations from the National Alliance on Mental Illness on how to find a culturally competent therapist for the specific needs of African American and people. Check out these resources and directories of practitioners of color: culturally competent mental health services. self-love, liberation and reclamation," an inspiration to others that can potentially save lives. Use the following resources to open awareness and dialogue:
Financially support these mental health organizations for and by people of color.

Black Emotional And Mental Health Collective (BEAM) is a multidisciplinary collective of mental health healers and activists. They develop trainings, technical assistance, and educational offerings that are based on "social justice informed informed mental health literacy" designed by and for Black communities." #BlackLight is their social media campaign for highlighting mental health and healing in Black communities. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter and join their mailing list to stay up to date. Donate here with a one-time contribution or with monthly support.

Rest for Resistance has a repository of resources about mental health for queer and trans people of color. They offer online peer support, community (Brooklyn) monthly meditations, a weekly online zine that publishes works by QTPoC related to "healing, self-care, emotional wellness, survival, and navigating all that along with oppression." They have a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter that is both uplifting and educational. Donate here (various options).

National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network is an all-volunteer endeavor, founded by queer, gender non-conforming, and trans therapists of color who are committed to healing and interrupting the consequences of oppression. Their work is about building capacity for being transformative mental health healers while supporting each other through the racism and barriers faced on their journey as students and professionals. Their Facebook page and Google site are dedicated spaces only for queer and trans people of color with weekly content, resources, and information related to healing and mental health providers. A monthly newsletter is offered for all to stay informed and connected. Donate through the PayPal link found at the bottom of the NQTTCN home page.

This is Action Call #15 in a series. Read past calls to action from Threads of Solidarity . You can support our work financially here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/solidaritywoc .

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Threads of Solidarity: WOC Against Racism

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Filling our Cups: 4 Ways People of Color can Foster Mental Health and Practice Restorative Healing

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The strong, Black woman. The Asian " model minority." "" These tropes, expressions, and labels are often used to demonstrate (and even celebrate) the "resiliency" of people of color. But it's a trap. These stereotypes may seem empowering, but beneath the surface, they are damaging.

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Psychologist Guy Winch lays out seven useful ways to reboot your emotional health ... starting right now.

You put a bandage on a cut or take antibiotics to treat an infection, right? No questions asked. In fact, questions would be asked if you didn't apply first aid when necessary. So why isn't the same true of our mental health? We are expected to just "get over" psychological wounds - when as anyone who's ever ruminated over rejection or agonized over a failure knows only too well, emotional injuries can be just as crippling as physical ones. We need to learn how to practice emotional first aid. Here are 7 ways to do so:

1. Pay attention to emotional pain - recognize it when it happens and work to treat it before it feels all-encompassing.
The body evolved the sensation of physical pain to alert us that something is wrong and we need to address it. The same is true for emotional pain. If a rejection, failure or bad mood is not getting better, it means you've sustained a psychological wound and you need to treat it. For example, loneliness can be devastatingly damaging to your psychological and physical health, so when you or your friend or loved one is feeling socially or emotionally isolated, you need to take action.

2. Redirect your gut reaction when you fail.
The nature of psychological wounds makes it easy for one to lead to another. Failure can often drive you to focus on what you can't do instead of focusing on what you can. That can then make you less likely to perform at your best, which will make you even more focused on your shortcomings, and on the cycle goes. To stop this sort of emotional spiral, learn to ignore the post-failure "gut" reaction of feeling helpless and demoralized, and make a list of factors that you can control were you to try again. For instance, think about preparation and planning, and how you might improve each of them. This kind of exercise will reduce feelings of helplessness and improve your chances of future success.

3. Monitor and protect your self-esteem. When you feel like putting yourself down, take a moment to be compassionate to yourself.
Self-esteem is like an emotional immune system that buffers you from emotional pain and strengthens your emotional resilience. As such, it is very important to monitor it and avoid putting yourself down, particularly when you are already hurting. One way to "heal" damaged self-esteem is to practice self-compassion. When you're feeling critical of yourself, do the following exercise: imagine a dear friend is feeling bad about him or herself for similar reasons and write an email expressing compassion and support. Then read the email. Those are the messages you should be giving yourself.

4. When negative thoughts are taking over, disrupt them with positive distraction.
When you replay distressing events in your mind without seeking new insight or trying to solve a problem, you're just brooding, and that, especially when it becomes habitual, can lead to deeper psychological pain. The best way to disrupt unhealthy rumination is to distract yourself by engaging in a task that requires concentration (for example, do a Sudoku, complete a crossword, try to recall the names of the kids in your fifth grade class). Studies show that even two minutes of distraction will reduce the urge to focus on the negative unhealthily.

5. Find meaning in loss.
Loss is a part of life, but it can scar us and keep us from moving forward if we don't treat the emotional wounds it creates. If sufficient time has passed and you're still struggling to move forward after a loss, you need to introduce a new way of thinking about it. Specifically, the most important thing you can do to ease your pain and recover is to find meaning in the loss and derive purpose from it. It might be hard, but think of what you might have gained from the loss (for instance, "I lost my spouse but I've become much closer to my kids"). Consider how you might gain or help others gain a new appreciation for life, or imagine the changes you could make that will help you live a life more aligned with your values and purpose.

6. Don't let excessive guilt linger.
Guilt can be useful. In small doses, it alerts you to take action to mend a problem in your relationship with another person. But excessive guilt is toxic, in that it wastes your emotional and intellectual energies, distracts you from other tasks, and prevents you from enjoying life. One of the best ways to resolve lingering guilt is to offer an effective apology. Yes, you might have tried apologizing previously, but apologies are more complex than we tend to realize. The crucial ingredient that every effective apology requires - and most standard apologies lack - is an "empathy statement." In other words, your apology should focus less on explaining why you did what you did and more on how your actions (or inactions) impacted the other person. It is much easier to forgive someone when you feel they truly understand. By apologizing (even if for a second time), the other person is much more likely to convey authentic forgiveness and help your guilt dissolve.

7. Learn what treatments for emotional wounds work for you.
Pay attention to yourself and learn how you, personally, deal with common emotional wounds. For instance, do you shrug them off, get really upset but recover quickly, get upset and recover slowly, squelch your feelings, or ...? Use this analysis to help yourself understand which emotional first aid treatments work best for you in various situations (just as you would identify which of the many pain relievers on the shelves works best for you). The same goes for building emotional resilience. Try out various techniques and figure out which are easiest for you to implement and which tend to be most effective for you. But mostly, get into the habit of taking note of your psychological health on a regular basis - and especially after a stressful, difficult, or emotionally painful situation.

Yes, practicing emotional hygiene takes a little time and effort, but it will seriously elevate your entire quality of life. I promise.
See Guy Winch's TED Talk, Why we all need to practice emotional first aid. F eatured image via iStock.

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You put a bandage on a cut or take antibiotics to treat an infection, right? No questions asked. In fact, questions would be asked if you didn't apply first aid when necessary. So why isn't the same true of our mental health?

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What does hope look like to you? See how these artists have depicted it

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What does hope look like to you? See how these artists have depicted it

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There are so many big questions swirling around our brains these days. Like: How much worse will this pandemic get? When will we return to normal, even if it's a new normal? And in the face of this existential uncertainty, what on earth can we turn to?

"Today, more than anything, life needs hope," says TED Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier. That word is the driving force behind a diverse and colorful art campaign called Spring of Hope. Tavanier is the Bulgaria-based cofounder and executive director of Fine Acts, a so-called "playground for social change" and a global nonprofit that uses art to empower activism.

After the pandemic struck, the team at Fine Acts contacted 50 artists from 20 countries and asked them to create images that embodied the theme of hope; later, it held an open call and collected work from additional illustrators. "Art has immense power, so we wanted to unleash it and help people during these difficult times," says Tavanier.

Although hope is a universally understood feeling, it's fun to see the quirky, individual ways that the artists have chosen to picture it. To one illustrator, hope is a porcupine hugging a cactus. To another, hope is a woman using bombs as flower vases, or a dinosaur holding a handbag and the words "It will pass".

Another important part of Fine Acts's mission is to empower people in the nonprofit community. In a few weeks' time, it will publish all of these works on an online platform, along with hundreds of others they've curated in the past on topics like women's rights, LGBTQ rights, democracy and freedom of expression. Every image will be available for anyone to freely download and use for noncommercial purposes under a Creative Commons license. Work files will also be included, so people and groups can adapt and repurpose the art to meet their needs.

Below are a handful of highlights from the campaign. Let it serve as a teeny break from the chaos we're living in, even if just for a moment. "There is so much we can't see that hope is our guide forward," says Tavanier.
New illustrations will be added until the end of the month (check out their Instagram), but the gallery will be live online indefinitely. Artist Shadowchaser/Daniela Yankova
What inspired this artwork? As a society, as a community, we're like these 5 fingers. We're so much alike but at the same time very different. In order to make some action, a hand needs all its fingers, and each one has a particular and important part - the same is true of humanity.

What is giving you hope right now? I hope that in these dark days, each of us has realized we can't survive on our own because our world doesn't work that way, that we've learned the meaning of gratefulness and of asking and giving help, and that we'll start communicating and working on the real issues together as one.

What is one thing that you are looking forward to? To be able to travel freely and have real physical contact with others.
Artist Dessy Baeva
What inspired this artwork? There is so much going on right now, and the part that most of us are finding extremely difficult is the lack of connection. How do we stay together while we are apart? That's the main purpose of my illustration: I'm sticking with you, no matter what and no matter where you are.

What is giving you hope right now? The belief that humans are ultimately good and that there is a collective need for oneness and love for one another.

What is one thing that you're looking forward to? To being somewhere in a field with my favorite people and listening to live music again. That's when I feel alive and happy, and I really miss it.
Artist Denitsa Boyadzhieva
What inspired this artwork? I looked for a quote on the theme of hope, and I was impressed by the simplicity of Emily Dickinson, one of my favorite poets. I was amused by the words she chose to describe its appearance - "the thing with feathers". One could associate that phrase with a bird, but not necessarily, so I drew a bird-like human. I wanted to make others smile, but I also wanted to make a bridge between the past and today and to remind us that hope "never stops at all". We are here because people in the past had hope, and we have the future ahead of us.

What is giving you hope right now? We humans are beautiful creatures, especially in hard times. We're able to show unity, love and might, beyond any boundaries. I see it every day around the world.

What is one thing that you're looking forward to? I'm looking forward to living in a world where we are one with nature again, the nature that used to inspire poets like Dickinson.
Artist Amber Vittoria
What inspired this artwork? I was inspired by the flowers beginning to bloom in the parks where I take my daily walks and my excitement for the coming warm weather.

What is giving you hope right now? The change to warmer temperatures always gives me hope, especially now. Being able to do the simple act of opening the windows for fresh air is amazing.

What is one thing that you are looking forward to? My fiancé and I are getting married in a park this summer - with an officiant videoing in - and I'm so excited for it.
Artist Teo Georgiev
What inspired this artwork? When I was working on my sketches, an illustration with a lighthouse resonated with me because it's a strong and recognizable symbol of something that guides us towards safety. In the last several months, I feel like a lot of us have been metaphorically trying to navigate through stormy weather and figure out what our lives are becoming.

What is giving you hope right now? I'm afraid that whatever I say, it will come across as superficial as I'm speaking from a privileged position. But one small thing that has stood out to me is the agility, resilience and perseverance of human creativity. I'm not talking only about people in the creative industries, but about the countless ways that everyone is sharing stories, symbols, videos and images of their ways of coping and staying afloat. Creativity and art in all their shapes and forms keep us sane in difficult times.

What is one thing that you're looking forward to? I'd love to travel back home to Bulgaria - I'm currently based in Finland - and spend some time there. Also, just simply being able to meet with people would be great.
Watch Yana Buhrer Tavanier's TED Talk here:

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What does hope look like to you? See how these artists have depicted it

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There are so many big questions swirling around our brains these days. Like: How much worse will this pandemic get? When will we return to normal, even if it's a new normal? And in the face of this existential uncertainty, what on earth can we turn to?

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Self-Care and Sustaining Activism: Infographic

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Self-Care and Sustaining Activism: Infographic

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What keeps activists and women human rights defenders going? Collective and self-care are key. Explore our infographic to learn more about self-care and hear about how we can apply lessons from the women on the front lines of defending human rights to keeping our own activism strong and healthy.

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Self-Care and Sustaining Activism: Infographic - Global Fund for Women

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What keeps activists and women human rights defenders going? Collective and self-care are key. Explore our infographic to learn more about self-care and hear about how we can apply lessons from the women on the front lines of defending human rights to keeping our own activism strong and healthy.

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"Be There for Me" is soulful inspirational song that sends the message we are all one family.  During a time that depicts a world divided, "Be There for Me" is the unity song that spreads love throughout the hearts of its listeners. MS/HS 223 Friend Gregory Kelly

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3-minute video
"We must walk on with an audacious faith in the future..."

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"The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice"

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Apply for $1000 scholarship to live your beliefs

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The DoSomething Community Supports Young People in the Fight Against Racism and White Supremacy

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Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror (Official Video)

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3-minute video

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NYC Well is your connection to free, confidential mental health support. Speak to a counselor via phone, text, or chat and get access to mental health and substance use services, in more than 200 languages, 24/7/365.

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Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention and crisis counseling

Warm Transfers

Referrals and warm transfer to other services

Follow-up Care

Follow-up to check that you have connected to care and it is working for you

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We're here to listen and help with problems like stress, depression, anxiety, or drug and alcohol use. For you or someone you care for. What We Do Helping New Yorkers in Crisis NYC 988 is your...

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FREE digital mental health resources* for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic

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FREE digital mental health resources* for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic

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FREE digital mental health resources* for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic

Anxiety

Headspace (in App Library)
New Yorkers across the state can access a specially curated collection of science-backed, evidence-based guided meditations, along with at-home mindful workouts, sleep and kids content to help address rising stress and anxiety

Shine
Resources for anxiety and overall mental health specific to COVID-19

Calm
Mindfulness app that provides free list of curated meditations specific to COVID-19 via video and audio

All Mental Health
App with coping and communication skills specific to COVID-19

Coa
Online therapist-led groups & workshops for anxiety, stress, and connection

Ginger
Strategies, activities, and articles to help users stay grounded during COVID-19

Depression

Litesprite
Clinically-validated mental health video game

Sanvello
Clinically-validated evidence-based mobile application based on cognitive behavioral therapy (plus content related to other conditions)

Sleep

Big Health's Sleepio
Digital therapeutic for sleep, fully automated yet highly personalized digital sleep improvement program accessible via app and web

Magellan's Restore
Digital cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep

Peer Support

Supportiv
Peer chat support and resource list

Nod
Resource for students to socially connect and reduce loneliness during COVID-19

Self-care

COVID Coach
Resource for everyone, including veterans and service members, to support self-care and overall mental health

Recovery

Tempest
Online recovery support meetings for women and gender nonconforming individuals who are sober or interested in sobriety

*Please note these products are subject to the same evaluation protocol as those in the App Library, with the exception of user testing. Our goal is to share no-cost resources to help you during this time.

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COVID-19 Digital Mental Health Resources

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Headspace (in App Library) New Yorkers across the state can access a specially curated collection of science-backed, evidence-based guided meditations, along with at-home mindful workouts, sleep and kids content to help address rising stress and anxiety Shine Resources for anxiety and overall mental health specific to COVID-19 Calm Mindfulness app

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Something that can be helpful to slow down your thoughts and bring you back to the present would be doodling! Drawing little things related to how you feel, or little things like stars or trees can help your mind focus and redirect your attention to your paper. This specifically gives your body time to go through the motions while you sit still doodling!

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Included in each package are tools to help each student stay activated in their SEL journies.

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TLS Tuesaday: Applying the Skills intentionally

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TLS Tuesaday: Applying the Skills intentionally

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Today was our first day engaging a new TLS Pose. The Shoulder Movement with a Hug pose ushered in an opportunity to convey the importance of learning to move with intentionality. Tune in to help develop the disciplines needed to promote Social and Emotional Growth.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Areté Education, Inc. (@areteeducationinc)

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TLS Tuesaday: Applying the Skills intentionally

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TLS Tuesaday: Applying the Skills intentionally

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Today was our first day engaging a new TLS Pose. The Shoulder Movement with a Hug pose ushered in an opportunity to convey the importance of learning to move with intentionality. Tune in to help develop the disciplines needed to promote Social and Emotional Growth.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Areté Education, Inc. (@areteeducationinc)

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Included in each package are tools to help each student stay activated in their SEL journies.

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Andra Day - Rise Up [Official Music Video] [Inspiration Version]

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2 min technique

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

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COVID & Kids' Mental Health - Child Mind Institute

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Resources to help support children during the COVID pandemic, from kids' mental health problems to the challenges of remote learning.

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What you can do to keep yourself busy when you feel depressed

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What you can do to keep yourself busy when you feel depressed

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1. Watch Youtube Videos
2. Take a hot shower or bath (with bubbles if you take a bath)
3. Listen to music
4. Meditate
5. Read

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Breathing Excercises that would help during anxiety

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Breathing Excercises that would help during anxiety

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Join Arete Education and MS223 every Tuesday from 12 pm- 12:15pm in Transformative Life Skill Protocols

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A Way to Reduce Stress At School and At Work

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A Way to Reduce Stress At School and At Work

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You can create a To Do list and write down all of your tasks. This will help you from feeling concerned and overwhelmed because you know that you have everything down and can always refer back to your list.

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How to reduce stress with the 2:1 breathing technique

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Personally I have one and it has helped me so much.

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If you're not much of a writer, the idea of journaling can be a little off-putting. But the latest pen-to-paper craze-bullet journaling-is far from the old practice of keeping a diary filled with your deepest, darkest secrets. Bullet journaling (or "BuJo," if you're hip) is a creative, customizable way to organize tasks and goals. There are no hard and fast rules on how to bullet journal: It's all about how you can reap the benefits of journaling on the regular in a way that works for you. Certainly, you can use a bullet journal to jot down moments from your day-but it's really about much more than that.

Here's how bullet journaling works: Basically, you choose what you want to chronicle. Some people decide to keep track of their daily habits or moods, how they feel physically, or what they ate. You can also have a section for daily to-dos and appointments, gratitude lists, and debriefings after events like therapy sessions, dates or coffee meetings with friends. (Check out some inspiration and bullet journal ideas here.)

But how does all of this benefit you? Read on to learn the many benefits of bullet journaling.
It Helps You Stay Organized
Bullet journals provide a single place for you to write down everything that matters, from your daily tasks to your mental state. If you're the type who keeps to-do lists in various places-on your phone, on paper, on the refrigerator and so forth-then a bullet journal will consolidate everything in a way that may make you more productive. And you may be more likely to keep writing down your daily tasks and ideas instead of keeping them all in your head.
It Provides Peace of Mind
By having one place for everything, a bullet journal ensures that you won't forget anything important, from work deadlines to a friend's birthday to a gym class you really wanted to take. Knowing that all you need to do is grab your notebook to see what's going on in your life can be really reassuring on busy days or whenever you may feel a bit scatterbrained.
It Encourages You to Get Things Done
There are few things more satisfying than crossing items off a to-do list. Having a bullet journal allows you to slash and burn all of your daily tasks, from mundane chores like making your bed to finalizing your presentation for your boss. Having a concrete place to check things off gives your brain a reward every time your pen ticks off another completed item, encouraging you to keep going.
It Inspires New Ideas
Writing journals gets your brain flowing with inspiration. As you write in your various sections for the day, you might be tempted to explore new avenues with your journal, like keeping track of your eating and sleeping habits or chronicling places you want to travel. In this way, a bullet journal can encourage you to explore the possibilities in achieving a healthier lifestyle or following your wanderlust tendencies.
It Can Boost Creativity
Bullet journals can be really fun: Some people use highlighters, stickers or even calligraphy to make theirs totally unique. (See some ideas here.) Color-coding your sections, doodling or incorporating whatever artistic embellishments you like can help you tap into your artistic side, something that many of us don't always get the chance to do daily.
It Motivates You to Accomplish Your Goals
Writing down your daily tasks go beyond making a to-do list: With a bullet journal, you can also write down your goals for the day, week or year. Maybe you want to make it to the gym more often, spend more time in nature, reach out to friends and family or engage in self-care -whatever it is, a bullet journal keeps you accountable. When you make the space in your journal for these items, you're more likely to accomplish them.

Ready to get journaling? Grab a fresh notebook and commit to starting your morning with a bullet journal session. Taking this time for yourself will improve your mental outlook and give you a productivity boost.

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Why You Should Learn How to Bullet Journal

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If you're not much of a writer, the idea of journaling can be a little off-putting. But the latest pen-to-paper craze-bullet journaling-is far from the old practice of keeping a diary filled with your deepest, darkest secrets. Bullet journaling (or "BuJo," if you're hip) is a creative, customizable way to organize tasks and goals.

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Video (4 min)

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Beyoncé - I Was Here (United Nations World Humanitarian Day Performance Video)

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Student Wellbeing Activities for Virtual Classrooms

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Student Wellbeing Activities for Virtual Classrooms

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Support Your Family's Wellbeing Based Around the Visible Wellbeing Search Pathways 

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Support Your Family's Wellbeing Based Around the Visible Wellbeing Search Pathways 

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Insight Timer - free app and paid subscription versions available

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Insight Timer - #1 Free Meditation App for Sleep, Relax & More

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The best meditation app with the world’s largest FREE library of more than 190k guided meditations, 17k teachers & the world’s most loved meditation Timer.

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Framework for COVID-19 Environmental Stressors

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Framework for COVID-19 Environmental Stressors

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Dynamic Mindfulness Practices for Calming, Energizing, and Releasing Stress 

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Dynamic Mindfulness Practices for Calming, Energizing, and Releasing Stress 

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15 minute protocol - You can do all at once or cut into segments (3 x 5 min).

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Step-by-Step Calming Practices (video included)

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Resilience expert Linda Graham offers three guided breathing practices as part of the [email protected] series.

[email protected] is a series of free guided meditations from some of our favorite mindfulness teachers. As they hunker down in their homes, they will be sending peace, calm, and love to you in your home. Tune in to our Facebook page every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3 p.m. ET for live guided meditations.

In this guided meditation, resilience expert Linda Graham shares three ways to use awareness and deep breathing to ground yourself throughout the day.

1. Affectionate Breathing

1. Sit in a comfortable position.

2. Notice any tension or discomfort you may feel in your body and release it.

3. Begin to notice your breath flowing in and out. As you do that, bring a loving awareness to the physical sensations of breathing.

4. Notice that with every breath in, you are nourishing your body. And with every breath out, you are soothing your body.

2. The Hand Over Heart Practice

1. Place your hand over your heart so that you feel the warmth of your hand against your chest.

2. Breathe gently and deeply while focusing on the warmth of your hand over your heart.

3. Breath in while welcoming a sense of ease, safety, and goodness.

4. Use this time to remember a moment when you felt safe, loved, and cherished with a friend, partner, or pet.

5. Let the warm feelings from that moment wash over you.

3. A Visualization Practice to Call on a Compassionate Friend

1. Sit in a comfortable position.

2. Focus on the gentle rhythm of your breath and use it as an anchor for this practice.

3. You can place your hand over your heart, if you choose, to bring a warmness to your experience.

4. Imagine that you are in your own safe place-somewhere you feel relaxed and protected.

5. Imagine a welcomed visitor coming to your safe place. It can be someone you know or an imaginary friend.

6. Bring a worry or a concern you have to mind. Then, share that thought with your compassionate friend.

7. Notice how it feels to share. Imagine your visitor responding with what you need to hear right now.

8. Notice anything that may have shifted and how you relate to your worry or concern now. When you're done sharing, imagine your friend kindly leaving.

Linda Graham presents a full toolbox of practices to help you meet the chaos of life with awareness, acceptance, and deep knowledge that you have the strength to work with it all. Read More

Making smart lifestyle choices now will support the health of your brain for years to come. Read More

Resilience expert Linda Graham presents two ways you can ease anxiety and fear with the research-backed benefits of self-compassion. Read More

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Three Guided Practices to Find Calm and Equanimity - Mindful

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Resilience expert Linda Graham offers three guided breathing practices as part of the [email protected] series. [email protected] is a series of free guided meditations from some of our favorite mindfulness teachers. As they hunker down in their homes, they will be sending peace, calm, and love to you in your home.

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Learning How to Be Gentle with Yourself in Lockdown

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Learning How to Be Gentle with Yourself in Lockdown

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5-minute practices for "grace under pressure"

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Anyone else feel like an oppressive wave of suffocating gloop is bearing down upon them and choking out all hope of hope? Me neither.

Like a few billion of my dearest friends, I have been sheltering at home for what feels like multiples of dog years. Overall, I think I am handling the whole pandemic-thingy rather well. But it turns out that I am human after all, and in the face of a global pressure cooker, a small irritation has been known to turn me into a weapon of mass destruction.

I have never been through a world-wide shut down before, and I need to regularly remind myself to go gently, because I have a lot to learn.

Now that I am safe in my hermetically sealed bubble, I have more time to see how my unease with uncertainty can turn me into a fireball from space. Bizarrely, this is good news. With mindfulness as my companion, I am learning to catch habit patterns muscling in on me. And once I notice, I can take a nice deep breath and offer myself kindness and compassion, even when my behaviour is less than peaceful.

Life was not a box of chocolates, it was more like a tube of toothpaste and I could feel pressure and uncertainty squeezing my dark, sensitive interiors.

For example, the other night, after our gazillionth day of being shut-ins, my Dear One made a joke that the food on my plate resembled the mountain in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and I went KABOOM. His comment set off a wrathful storm of negative thoughts and emotions, and I didn't keep them to myself.

Normally, he makes me laugh, but things here on earth are currently not normal. And that was important to notice. Life was not a box of chocolates, it was more like a tube of toothpaste and I could feel pressure and uncertainty squeezing my dark, sensitive interiors.

Use Awareness to Rein In Your Response

When I have a strong negative reaction, my response can feel like a team of wild horses racing out of the gate. Even with a regular mindfulness practice, there might still be times when freaking out happens. But after many years of practicing, sometimes awareness helps me temper my temper. Awareness can help me notice when I feel like a trapped tiger. It helps me stay gently alert to times when there's too much noise, not enough space, and many opportunities for misinterpretation that might trigger my inner flame-thrower.

Our mindfulness training is the practice of being with whatever shows up. Over time, this will include a mix of terrible and terrific sensations. You won't like some of these sensations. You will want more of others. Be present to it all.

You have the right to a full range of emotional responses, they're going to come with or without your permission. When you can stay present during inner lava spurts of rage and frustration you open a path that can free you from the tyranny of reactivity. See it. Feel it. Hold yourself as gently as a butterfly and let yourself experience what presents itself, without always needing to act.

With a mindful approach, you can navigate uncertainty with gentleness, knowing that the greatest skill of all is in being kind with all that we encounter.

Take note: even when you can notice yourself about to become a living fire-storm, you might still feel helpless to do anything except watch yourself burn. That's OK. Sometimes we have choice, and can calm the fires before they start to rage, but sometimes pressure and habit come together so quickly that you only have the opportunity to notice after the fact. When that occurs, breathe, and when you are ready, invite compassion in as you continue to make your way through this unfamiliar territory.

Self-Compassion Break

A five-step practice for grace under pressure

1. When you notice yourself boiling over for any reason, turn your attention to the sensations arising in the body. You don't have to like or want what you are feeling - just have a close encounter by meeting what is already here.

2. If possible, allow yourself the simple recognition that you are experiencing a moment of suffering. It's just how it is.

3. Now breathe in the recognition that suffering is part of the human experience and that you are not alone.

4. Soothing touch can bring physiological calm: allow your hand to rest on your chest, or tenderly allow one hand to caress the other, or find a way to gently offer yourself kind physical contact.

5. And offer yourself these words or change them as you require:

May I be peaceful
May I be safe and protected
May I know what I need to be well

Join Elaine May 25 at 3 p.m. ET on Facebook for a live show interweaving mindfulness, playfulness and expert advice on ways to stay healthy and well during a global pandemic.

With special guest Patricia Rockman.

Most of us believe that happiness comes from living a stress-free life. But our greatest challenges may hold the secret to uncovering our greatest joys, writes Elaine Smookler. Read More

Elaine Smookler didn't expect to find herself fighting the urge to panic-buy while shopping this week. Here's how mindfulness helped her to slow down and remember kindness. Read More

When love falls apart, embracing your life as it is-agony, misfortune, and all-can help you heal. Try this three-step mindfulness practice to help you find stability and a little bit of ease. Read More

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Being Gentle with Your Feelings In Lockdown - Mindful

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Anyone else feel like an oppressive wave of suffocating gloop is bearing down upon them and choking out all hope of hope? Me neither. Like a few billion of my dearest friends, I have been sheltering at home for what feels like multiples of dog years.

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Niroga Mindfulness Practices for Energizing

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Niroga Mindfulness Practices for Energizing

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3 min video

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Balloons & flour

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How to Make A Stress Ball (Easy Peasy DIY!)

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Kids' Video Guide to Out of Control Emotions

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Kids' Video Guide to Out of Control Emotions

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6-min animated video

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A brief mindfulness meditation practice to relax your body and focus your mind.

Time required: 20-45 minutes, three to six days per week for four weeks. Research suggests that people who practice the body scan for longer reap more benefits from this practice.

How to Practice Body Scan Meditation

The body scan can be performed while lying down, sitting, or in other postures. The steps below are a guided meditation designed to be done while sitting. You can listen to audio of this three-minute guided meditation, produced by UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC), in the player; if it doesn't play, you can find it here or download it from MARC's website.*
Especially for those new to the body scan, we recommend performing this practice with the audio. However, you can also use the script below for guidance for yourself or for leading this practice for others.
Begin by bringing your attention into your body.

You can close your eyes if that's comfortable for you.

You can notice your body seated wherever you're seated, feeling the weight of your body on the chair, on the floor.

Take a few deep breaths.

And as you take a deep breath, bring in more oxygen enlivening the body. And as you exhale, have a sense of relaxing more deeply.

You can notice your feet on the floor, notice the sensations of your feet touching the floor. The weight and pressure, vibration, heat.

You can notice your legs against the chair, pressure, pulsing, heaviness, lightness.

Notice your back against the chair.

Bring your attention into your stomach area. If your stomach is tense or tight, let it soften. Take a breath.

Notice your hands. Are your hands tense or tight. See if you can allow them to soften.

Notice your arms. Feel any sensation in your arms. Let your shoulders be soft.

Notice your neck and throat. Let them be soft. Relax.

Soften your jaw. Let your face and facial muscles be soft.

Then notice your whole body present. Take one more breath.

Be aware of your whole body as best you can. Take a breath. And then when you're ready, you can open your eyes.
* You can also listen to a 45-minute version of the Body Scan that the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness uses in its trainings in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. This article was adapted from Greater Good In Action, a site launched by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, in collaboration with HopeLab. Synthesizing hundreds of scientific studies, Greater Good in Action collects the best research-based methods for a happier, more meaningful life-and puts them at your fingertips in a format that's easy to navigate and digest. The meditation is narrated by Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA Semel Institute's Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC).

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A 3-Minute Body Scan Meditation to Cultivate Mindfulness - Mindful

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A brief mindfulness meditation practice to relax your body and focus your mind. Time required: 20-45 minutes, three to six days per week for four weeks. Research suggests that people who practice the body scan for longer reap more benefits from this practice. The body scan can be performed while lying down, sitting, or in other postures.

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Gloves & Soap

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Diy stress ball with gloves and soap. THAT'S IT!

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Do Something Comprehensive COVID Community Resources

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Do Something Comprehensive COVID Community Resources

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How to find housing, food, mental health help, and more.

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Online Middle School Book Club Resources

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Online Middle School Book Club Resources

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ExpandEd Schools

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Due to COVID 19, the program excellence team has been working to continue supporting our CBO and school partners by creating a virtual learning platform to conduct book clubs.

In addition, access to remote materials (selected e-books) , supporting videos and guides have been created !

Please click here to access our online remote materials

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Due to COVID 19, the program excellence team has been working to continue supporting our CBO and school partners by creating a virtual learning platform to conduct book clubs. In addition, access to remote materials (selected e-books) , supporting videos and guides have been created !

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May 7 Podcast with Clinical Psychologist sharing practical strategies for managing anxiety and stress (17 min)

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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COVID-19 Mental Health Care Q&A With a Clinical Psychologist

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YC Teen article by Gabrielle Pascal

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The spread of COVID-19 has drastically changed our lives. Whether you are a student in high school or college, your school has likely closed for the foreseeable future. It's a strange and difficult world we have to adjust to.

When this all began, I spent hours glued to my phone and laptop. As the number of deaths and cases soared, so did my fear for the future. I was worried about relatives who were vulnerable to COVID-19 and the effects of the shutdown of New York City, where I live.

I consumed stories of emergency rooms being overwhelmed and shortages of ventilators and medical supplies across the country. I read everything from misinformation to guidelines posted by the Centers for Disease Control. My mind whirled into a state of anxiety.

This is my first year of college at Hofstra, and I had just begun acclimating myself to campus and had finally created a structured routine. When my campus suddenly closed, all of that changed. I was thrust from structure into uncertainty. I miss interacting with my professors. I miss walking around the campus and seeing my friends. What I realized over the past few weeks is how special those things are to me.

I had no idea how the semester would continue, how online classes work, or when I'd ever be able to return to school.

Turn the News Off Sometimes

Sirens blare outside my house seemingly every minute and the future is cloaked in so much uncertainty that it's hard for me to focus on my classwork. It is hard to be productive when I'm worried about the people I love and the state of the world.

I worry that whenever I go out, I might bring home the virus to my parents or other family members. One of my aunts, who has underlying health issues, lives in our house, and I want to keep her as safe as possible.

I also worry about people I don't even know. There are students whose parents have lost their jobs or don't have access to WiFi or a laptop. I worry for healthcare workers on the front lines exposing themselves to the virus every day just to protect us.

Yet, although my mind is filled with anxiety about the future, I want to remind you that things will be alright again someday. What helps ease my anxieties about the virus is turning the news off sometimes so I'm not surrounded by the growing death toll each day. It's not good for anyone's mental health in this difficult time.

Now, in the mornings before I start with schoolwork, I check what is posted on the Centers for Disease Control's website and the free coronavirus coverage offered by The New York Times. I don't check either again until the next day. Sometimes, I watch Governor Cuomo's daily press briefings. I want to stay informed, but limiting my exposure like this helps me feel less absorbed by everything.

Finding the Light

Developing a routine at home also helps me. I found that getting up at the time I used to for school and making a daily schedule helps keep me calm, and most importantly, focused.

In the afternoon, I take a break in between studying and other schoolwork to relax and talk with friends or family. I have also made a study group with some friends. It has helped me feel connected to other people and has made me feel supported.

I leave one day a week for myself so I'm not overwhelmed with homework and online lectures. On those days I catch up on books and movies.

Furthermore, I try to find a light in this situation. These next few years are probably the last time I'm going to be living at home and spending a lot of time with my family. So now I cherish the moments I have with them rather than feeling so cooped up. I stop by my mom's desk while she's working to check in, and I watch movies with my brother. Sometimes we just make a point of all sitting down and talking with each other.

School will open again. You'll be able to hug and laugh with your friends again face to face. Someday soon, things are going to be OK.

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youth communication (content / design) and codeHorse.com (programming)

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How I'm Managing the Stress - Gabrielle Pascal

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The spread of COVID-19 has drastically changed our lives. Whether you are a student in high school or college, your school has likely closed for the foreseeable future. It's a strange and difficult world we have to adjust to. When this all began, I spent hours glued to my phone and laptop.

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Maya Angelou

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Curated arts resources from Creative Connections

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Academy of Applied Mathematics and Technology

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The 343 community is dedicated to connecting students with the arts by delivering arts-related programs. For this extended school closure, we've identified resources for families to access from home. Numerous cultural organizations have launched or augmented their online offerings in response to the coronavirus shutdown. Below are some of the standout offerings we've identified. We hope that these help by providing both cultural enrichment and ways of keeping families occupied and stimulated in this difficult time.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS LIST. Concerts/Museum Tours Art Instruction/Prompts:
More resources are being posted daily, as the coronavirus shutdown continues. Search the web for various other resources your family would enjoy!

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Enrichment - Academy of Applied Mathematics and Technology

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The 343 community is dedicated to connecting students with the arts by delivering arts-related programs. For this extended school closure, we've identified resources for families to access from home. Numerous cultural organizations have launched or augmented their online offerings in response to the coronavirus shutdown. Below are some of the standout offerings we've identified.

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Grief Support and EmpatheticLanguage to Help SchoolCommunities

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Grief Support and EmpatheticLanguage to Help SchoolCommunities

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Regulation of the Chancellor: CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT PREVENTION

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Regulation of the Chancellor: CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT PREVENTION

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Supporting Grieving Children and TeensDuring the COVID-19 Global Health Crisis

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Supporting Grieving Children and TeensDuring the COVID-19 Global Health Crisis

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Coalition to Support Grieving Students: Providing Support Over Time

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Coalition to Support Grieving Students: Providing Support Over Time

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Access: Internet and Remote Learning Devices

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Access: Internet and Remote Learning Devices

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Access: Technology and Remote Learning Devices

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Office of Community Schools Events & Webinars

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Office of Community Schools Events & Webinars

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New York City grades 6-8 health education scope and sequence

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New York City grades 6-8 health education scope and sequence

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This curricular planning resource provides a practical framework for implementing comprehensive, skills-based Health Education instruction at the middle school level. Access a black and white version for easy printing.

Developed by DOE instructional leaders and teachers and aligned to State and national standards, the grades 6-8 Scope and Sequence is organized around six units of study:

Foundations for Adolescent Health

Social, Emotional, and Mental Health

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug-Use Prevention

Sexual Health

Nutrition and Physical Activity

Personal Health and Safety

The Scope and Sequence guides educators in using a skills-based approach in which students learn, practice, and demonstrate the skills they need to make informed decisions and adopt healthy behaviors. Key components include:

Overview grid: An at-a-glance summary of the curriculum, including units, topics, concepts, and skills.

Unit Summaries: List the health concepts and skills, essential questions, healthy behavior outcomes, and standards alignment for each unit

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New York City grades 6-8 health education scope and sequence | WeTeachNYC

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This curricular planning resource provides a practical framework for implementing comprehensive, skills-based Health Education instruction at the middle school level. Access a black and white version for easy printing.

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Created by the Office of School Wellness Programs Student Voice Committee in 2017-18, it provides a summary of health education lessons for all grades, and features NYC community-based mental health resources for youth, including places to get help online.

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Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit_FINAL.pdf

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School Wellness Weekly Archive - 2019-20 Archives

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For more information, visit us at http://schools.nyc.gov and search "Physical Education," Health Education," School Wellness Councils," "CHAMPS," or "Wellness Policy." You can also visit our "Connect with School Wellness Programs" page on the DOE InfoHub.

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Physical Education and Physical Activity

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Physical Education and Physical Activity

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4.21.2020 Instagram Post @areteeducationinc
Advice from MS 223 teens

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Words to live by in COVID times

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Social Emotional Learning at Home Strategies

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Social Emotional Learning at Home Strategies

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Six Seconds Online Adult Classes for Emotional Intelligence - Growing U

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Six Seconds Online Adult Classes for Emotional Intelligence - Growing U

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Six Seconds - Free and low-cost professional learning sessions daily

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For those ready for even more- we're offering a special promotion: Enhanced Learning For $195, get your personal EQ assessment, one-to-one debrief online PLUS 1 month of unlimited Growing U classes.

For EQ Certified, each course is worth 2 ACE Units.

Choose from classes focused on: Wellbeing | Relationships | Parenting | Leadership & Change

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Growing U Online: Your virtual retreat for thriving through challenge * Six Seconds

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For those ready for even more- we're offering a special promotion: Enhanced Learning For $195, get your personal EQ assessment, one-to-one debrief online PLUS 1 month of unlimited Growing U classes. For EQ Certified, each course is worth 2 ACE Units.

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Excellent guides for the whole family from Fresh Youth

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Deje que su hijo duerma el tiempo que necesite, esto es bueno para el sistema inmunológico

Recuerde que no hay necesidad de que su hijo o hija se vista como si fuera a salir para la escuela

Hable con ellos sobre las tareas que van a hacer ese día

Permita que sus hijos planifiquen, junto con usted, el aspecto académico para ese día

Permita que salgan por una hora cada día, si posible - la luz del sol también es buena par la sistema inmunológico

Se recomienda que su hijo lea por una hora cada día

Dele cosas que hacer en el hogar

Cocine con su hija o su hijo. Cocinar puede ayudar reforzar conceptos matemáticos.

Recuerde que estamos en épocas difíciles para todos, las tareas académicas no deben causar más tensión, es importante minimizar el estrés. Sea gentil consigo y con su hijo. Si algo causa mucha frustración habrá que hacer pausa y tomar un descanso, para después continuar.

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Deje que su hijo duerma el tiempo que necesite, esto es bueno para el sistema inmunológico Recuerde que no hay necesidad de que su hijo o hija se vista como si fuera a salir para la escuela Hable con ellos sobre las tareas que van a hacer ese día Permita

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Volunteer mental health professionals are available for emotional support and referral services 7 days a week, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, call 1-844-863-9314.

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Arete Family Hotline & COVID-19 Comprehensive Resources

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Arete Family Hotline & COVID-19 Comprehensive Resources

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English Version

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Estamos aquí para escuchar y responder a sus necesidades, ideas y preguntas. En este momento, podemos responder a llamadas y correos electrónicos dentro de un día hábil. Le pedimos que cuando nos deje un mensaje o envíe un correo electrónico, incluya su nombre, número de devolución de llamada y detalles sobre por qué está llamando (inquietudes sobre alimentos, tecnología / acceso a internet, etc.).

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Covid-19 Emergency Food Services for School Children, Seniors and the Community; plus Other Resources

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Covid-19 Emergency Food Services for School Children, Seniors and the Community; plus Other Resources

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COVID-19 Information; Emergency Food Services for School Children, Seniors and the Community; plus Other Resources

We understand you may be concerned about COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus that has spread worldwide and is now here in America with New York being the epicenter of it. Your risk of being exposed to the virus is greatest if you have had close contact (within 6 feet) of someone who has COVID-19. If you are having symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, call your health care provider. If you are severely ill, call 911.
What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

Wash your hands often. Use soap and warm water and scrub for at least 20 seconds before rinsing. If you can't wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.

Don't touch your face (especially your eyes, nose or mouth) unless your hands are clean.

Don't shake hands! Greet people with a bow or an elbow bump.

Avoid places where there are large groups of people. Try to stay six feet away from others.

If you feel sick, stay home. Call your health care provider if you need advice.

How to Get the Health Care You Need
The Institute for Family Health has health centers in New York City and in Ulster and Dutchess Counties. We offer primary medical care, mental health care, and dental care to people of all ages, regardless of ability to pay. Our centers are open and we can offer many services by video or phone - please call us. Click here for a complete list of locations and phone numbers.
Emergency Food Services for School Children
The Office of School Food and Nutrition Services is working around the clock to ensure that students have access to nutritious meals every day. Parents, students and young people under 18 can access breakfast/lunch grab and go bags from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at any of these NYC school sites (Food Hubs). Signage indicating food service may not be visible, so students and parents should knock loudly on the front door. The security guard should provide you with a to-go bag. There are Regional Enrichment Centers in NYC where children of first responders, healthcare and transit workers can receive educational programming and 3 hot meals daily.
Food Services for Seniors
These locations are serving free meals to seniors:

PSS Andrew Jackson, (356 East 156th St), 9AM-10AM and 11:30AM-1PM

BronxWorks Heights Neighborhood, (200 West Tremont Ave), 11AM-1PM

Hope of Israel, (1068 Gerard Avenue), 12PM-2PM

Mid-Bronx Senior Center, (900 Grand Concourse), 11AM-4:30PM

PSS Morrisania Air Rights, (3135 Park Avenue), 12PM-1PM

PSS Highbridge Gardens, (1155 University Avenue), 12PM-1:30PM

PSS Highbridge (1181 Nelson Avenue), 12PM-1:30PM

RAIN Findlay House NORC (1175 Findlay House), 11:30AM-1PM

William Hodson (1320 Webster Avenue), 1PM-2PM

Food Services for Community Members
Farmer's markets and Fresh Food Box sites.

Red Rabbit provides emergency grab-and-go meals delivered to daycares, schools and community organizations.

FoodHelp NYC Map of food pantries and community kitchens.

COVID-19 Food Hub NYC.
How to Stay Informed
Only get your information from trustworthy sources like the CDC, the New York State Department of Health and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. For updates on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities in New York City, click here. Also, you can call the New York coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065. In NYC, text COVID to 692692 for text updates from Notify NYC.
Community and Faith-Based Leaders
The City is actively monitoring and responding to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a community and faith-based partner, you play an important role in helping keep New Yorkers safe and informed.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and NYC Emergency Management hosts a weekly COVID-19 informational call for community and faith leaders. Each week they will provide updates from various city agencies.

Below is the conference call information to join the call:
The dial in number is (800) 832-0736.
The room number (access code) is 5245195.

New York City needs your help. Here's how individuals, businesses, and non-profits can help the City and fellow New Yorkers during this COVID-19 crisis:

Share Your Space: If you own or manage a large space, then take the Share Your Space Survey. The survey identifies spaces in your community that could potentially support the City's emergency operations, such as their response to COVID-19.

DonateNYC: DonateNYC, a program of NYC Department of Sanitation, has resources for individuals, businesses, schools, and agencies to give and receive donated items.

HelpNow NYC: HelpNow NYC can connect New York State licensed medical professionals for potential surge staffing shifts in response to COVID-19.

New York Cares: If you are not a licensed medical professional, you can still help the COVID-19 response through New York Cares.

You can give back by giving blood. New York City needs approximately 2,000 people to donate blood every day to maintain its supply. Find a New York Blood Center near you.

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COVID-19 Information; Emergency Food Services for School Children, Seniors and the Community; plus Other Resources

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(MARCH 27, 2020) We understand you may be concerned about COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus that has spread worldwide and is now here in America with New York being the epicenter of it.

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Toolkit & Style Guide for PSA campaigns - social distancing

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In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ad Council - in partnership with the federal government, public health partners, board member companies, major media networks and digital platforms - launched a series of national PSAs and multi-channel content to provide critical and urgent messages to the American public.

Creative assets focus on reaching higher-risk populations and the general public with messages around social distancing, personal hygiene and mental health. Additional assets, targeted to young people, urge social distancing and maintaining mental health, with a message that we can be #AloneTogether.

The toolkit will be updated as additional assets become available. For more information about this effort, please read the press release . For more information about coronavirus, please visit .

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In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ad Council - in partnership with the federal government, public health partners, board member companies, major media networks and digital platforms - launched a series of national PSAs and multi-channel content to provide critical and urgent messages to the American public.

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NYC Homebase will help you develop a personalized plan to overcome an immediate housing crisis and achieve housing stability.

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Homebase provides New Yorkers experiencing housing instability in the community with various homeless prevention services and aftercare services to families and individuals exiting NYC DHS shelter to permanent housing. Homebase locations are servicing clients either via phone or for in-person services. Anyone seeking Homebase services should call the office in advance to schedule an appointment.

Please use the Homebase locator to find the Homebase location that serves the ZIP code you currently reside in, along with the facility's phone number. You may be eligible for Homebase services if you:

Are at imminent risk of entering the New York City shelter system

Are low-income

Want to remain stably housed in your community

Dedicated Homebase staff across the five boroughs are available to evaluate households' specific needs, offering a variety of services to help New Yorkers achieve housing stability, including:

Services to prevent eviction

Assistance obtaining public benefits

Emergency rental assistance

Education and job placement assistance

Financial counseling and money management

Help relocating

Short-term financial assistance

Read Frequently Asked Questions.

Video

Audio Description: Information about Homebase, a DHS program providing homelessness preventions services to those at risk of eviction.

Woman speaker: You're working hard but still struggling to make ends meet, and you're behind on your rent. Now you're facing possible eviction. You can't imagine your kid going through it. What do you tell her? We can help your family in your home, but you have to let us know that you need help. Please, reach out before you are forced out of your home.

Text on screen:
Reach out before you are forced out of your home.
Visit nyc.gov/homebase or call 311 today to find out how Homebase can help you.

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Homebase provides New Yorkers experiencing housing instability in the community with various homeless prevention services and aftercare services to families and individuals exiting NYC DHS shelter to permanent housing. Homebase locations are servicing clients either via phone or for in-person services. Anyone seeking Homebase services should call the office in advance to schedule an appointment.

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If you or someone you love is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, Mount Sinai Medical's Precision Recovery program is offering daily remote monitoring support by their doctors.  Text: 332-213-9130 with your name and "Precision Recovery" to sign up. The cost is $10 monthly, free for Medicare/Medicaid patients. Low income families can ask to inform the lead doctor, Dr. David Putrino, that they are unable to pay so that billing is aware and supports your family at this time.

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In light of the recent COVID19 pandemic, symptom presentation tracking and patient monitoring over the course of care has become a priority in the management of those with suspected COVID19 diagnoses. Given the vast number of patients presenting to the healthcare system requiring increased monitoring following discharge, a need for a remote patient monitoring system has become increasingly evident. The goal of the Precision Recovery: COVID19 is to increase the capacity of healthcare providers to remote track and monitor patients with suspected positive diagnoses. This remote patient monitoring program includes:
1. A daily symptom tracking application, MyCap, completed via smart device 2. Zoom based patient follow up visits with a licensed healthcare provider for symptom tracking, clinical evaluation, and risk stratification.

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In light of the recent COVID19 pandemic, symptom presentation tracking and patient monitoring over the course of care has become a priority in the management of those with suspected COVID19 diagnoses. Given the vast number of patients presenting to the healthcare system requiring increased monitoring following discharge, a need for a remote patient monitoring system has become increasingly evident.

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Free telehealth resources with contact information, organized by borough

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Comprehensive Numbers and Links for COVID-19

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The Office of The Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

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The Office of The Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

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NÚMERO DE CONTACTO DE EMERGENCIA SOBRE EL CORONAVIRUS DE NYC

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NÚMERO DE CONTACTO DE EMERGENCIA SOBRE EL CORONAVIRUS DE NYC

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Community Service Learning - Teen PSA Toolkit

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Community Service Learning - Teen PSA Toolkit

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For the latest information about New York State please visit NY.gov/coronavirus

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Maya Angelou - 2 min video

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Dr. Maya Angelou: "Be a Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud" | Oprah's Master Class | OWN

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Make the Road NY offers support to immigrant families, including undocumented families. In some cases, direct cash aid is offered from the Excluded Workers Emergency Relief Fund. Hablan español.

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Done a nuestro Fondo de Emergencia COVID19 En Se Hace Camino Nueva York estamos cambiando nuestro trabajo para responder a esta nueva realidad y proteger a nuestros miembros, personal y comunidad. Así es como hemos estado tomando medidas:

Crear y difundir materiales precisos, bilingües y culturalmente competentes sobre el virus a nuestros miembros de 24 mil miembrxs y otros en nuestras comunidades.

Realización de capacitaciones en línea de Conozca sus derechos para miembros de la comunidad para que las personas tengan la información más reciente sobre la aplicación de la ley de inmigración, la participación en el censo y otros temas críticos

Realizar campañas de promoción para promover políticas que protejan a los neoyorquinos de clase trabajadora durante este tiempo, como imponer moratorias a los desalojos de viviendas y la aplicación de la ley de inmigración.

Cambiar nuestras formas de trabajar para minimizar el contacto, por ejemplo, trasladar las clases de alfabetización de adultos en línea y realizar videollamadas en lugar de reuniones de comité organizador en persona, a fin de continuar satisfaciendo las necesidades de las personas a las que servimos y mantenernos a salvo El virus. A partir del lunes, nuestras oficinas físicas estarán cerradas.

Continuar brindando pruebas de detección y apoyo legal a las personas que podrían verse afectadas por la nueva norma de carga pública y conectando a las personas con la atención y los servicios de salud.

Dotación de personal en una línea directa de Coronavirus para comunidades vulnerables.

V isite los siguientes sitios web para obtener recursos útiles:
HORAS DE OPERACIONES

A partir del lunes 16 de marzo, nuestras OFICINAS COMUNITARIAS CERRARAN FÍSICAMENTE por el momento. Después de recibir el asesoramiento de expertos en salud, aliados en nuestro movimiento y otros, creemos que el brote de COVID-19 ha evolucionado de tal manera que es necesario cambiar a un enfoque diferente de nuestro trabajo para proteger la salud de nuestros miembros, nuestro personal y las comunidades más amplias.

Sin embargo, a través de una cuidadosa planificación por parte de cada uno de nuestros departamentos, continuaremos apoyando a los miembros de nuestra comunidad a través del trabajo remoto, servicios telefónicos y basados ​​en la web, aulas virtuales y organización en línea.

Si necesita ponerse en contacto con nosotros, llame a la línea directa de Se Hace Camino Nueva York en su área y haremos nuestro mejor esfuerzo para ayudarle a responder cualquier pregunta:

Bushwick, Brooklyn - (718) 418-7690

Jackson Heights, Queens - (718) 565-8500

Port Richmond, Staten Island - (718) 727-1222

Brentwood, Long Island - (631) 231-2220

White Plains, Westchester - (914) 948-8466

Gracias por su paciencia y colaboración.

RECURSOS - DERECHO DE TRABAJADORES
Prácticas De Seguridad Para Trabajadores Esenciales En Pandemia Derechos Laborales y la Crisis de Covid19 Proteger su Salud como Trabajadorxs Domésticxs durante Covid19
Mire nuestros entrenamientos en línea recientes sobre seguridad crítica y conozca sus derechos
Ciudad de Nueva York
Días de Enfermedad Pagados: Lo Que Los Empleados Deben Saber

La mayoría de los trabajadores en Nueva York tienen derecho al tiempo de enfermedad. Si trabaja en Nueva York durante más de 80 horas al año, puede ganar hasta 40 horas de licencia para cuidar de usted o de cualquier persona que considere familiar. Puede comenzar a usar su tiempo de enfermedad 120 días después de su primer día de empleo. Puede usar su tiempo para quedarse en casa si usted o un miembro de su familia están enfermos o para ir a citas médicas.

Si su empleador tiene cinco o más empleados, tiene derecho a vacaciones pagadas. Si su empleador tiene menos de cinco empleados, tiene derecho a un permiso no remunerado.

Las trabajadoras domésticas en Nueva York que han trabajado (i) para el mismo empleador durante al menos un año y (ii) trabajaron más de 80 horas en un año para ese empleador, tienen derecho a dos días pagados de licencia por enfermedad cada año.

Su empleador no puede negarse a permitirle usar el tiempo de enfermedad que ha ganado, castigarlo por solicitar o usar el tiempo de enfermedad ganado, o hacerle encontrar un trabajador de reemplazo antes de permitirle usar su tiempo de enfermedad. Su empleador no puede exigir documentación médica para usar su tiempo de enfermedad si se toma tres días consecutivos libres del trabajo o menos.
Westchester
Para obtener más información o informar un problema, llame al 311.

La mayoría de los trabajadores en Westchester tienen derecho al tiempo de enfermedad. La ley de días de enfermedad pagados de Westchester entró en vigencia en 2019. Si trabaja en Westchester por más de 80 horas al año, puede ganar hasta 40 horas de licencia para cuidar de usted o de cualquier persona que considere familia. Puede comenzar a usar su tiempo de enfermedad 120 días después de su primer día de empleo. Puede usar su tiempo para quedarse en casa si usted o un miembro de su familia están enfermos o para ir a citas médicas.

Si su empleador tiene cinco o más empleados, tiene derecho a vacaciones pagadas. Si su empleador tiene menos de cinco empleados, tiene derecho a un permiso no remunerado.

Su empleador no puede negarse a permitirle usar el tiempo de enfermedad que ha ganado, castigarlo por solicitar o usar su tiempo de enfermedad ganado, o hacer que encuentre un trabajador sustituto antes de permitirle usar su tiempo de enfermedad. Su empleador no puede exigir documentación médica para usar su tiempo de enfermedad si se toma tres días consecutivos libres del trabajo o menos.

Para obtener más información o informar un problema, llame al Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor al (914) 995-2155.

RECURSOS DE DESEMPLEO

RECURSOS DE DERECHOS INMIGRANTES

Recomendamos a las personas a que se queden en casa si se sienten enfermxs y que sigan viendo sus hogares como espacios seguros. Recuerde que ICE no puede ingresar a su hogar sin una orden firmada por un juez.

Si escucha un golpe en su puerta y cree que es ICE (la migra), NO ABRA LA PUERTA. Una buena práctica es siempre preguntar quién está detrás de la puerta antes de abrirla. Si escuchas un golpe y luego escuchas "policía", podría ser ICE. Siempre pida ver una orden judicial.
ACTUALIZACIONES DE INMIGRACIÓN
Nadie debería tener miedo de ir al médico y buscar atención médica, independientemente de su estado migratorio. Su salud es importante. No se le pueden negar los servicios de emergencia en función de su capacidad de pago. No hay presencia de ICE en los hospitales, y no es necesario que revele su estado de inmigración cuando vaya a la sala de emergencias para acceder a los servicios. Sin embargo, pueden solicitar esta información para fines de inscripción de beneficios.
Procesamiento de Casos Citas con ICE, Arrestos, y Detención
Estas son las actualizaciones más recientes para NUEVA YORK a partir del 19 de marzo de 2020.
Obtener Ayuda

Las condiciones en centros de detención se están deteriorando. MRNY ha firmado varias demandas para que TODAS las personas detenidas sean liberadas. MRNY está preparando solicitudes de liberación para individuos particularmente vulnerables.

Si una persona tiene un abogadx, debe comunicarse con ese abogadx.

RECURSOS DE DERECHOS DE VIVIENDA

ACTUALIZACIÓN SOBRE EL CIERRE DE LA CORTE DE VIVIENDA & MORATORIA DE DESALOJOS AL PARTIR DEL MARZO 15, 2020

Las Cortes de Vivienda del Estado de NY estarán CERRADAS empezando el martes, 17 de marzo, 2020. Todavía no sabemos por cuánto tiempo estarán cerradas. Casos que están en el calendario el día de lunes, 16 de marzo, 2020 se apalazarán administrativamente hasta una fecha posterior.

Hay una moratoria indefinida de desalojos. Esto significa que nadie puede ser físicamente desalojadx de su hogar en este momento. Además, las cortes NO están ordenando faltas de comparecencia en contra de personas que no se presentan a la corte para sus citas. No está claro por cuánto tiempo van a existir estas políticas.

Se va a crear una Corte de Vivienda de Emergencia para oír solo casos de emergencia muy limitados. No tenemos detalles sobre la Corte de Vivienda de Emergencia en este momento.
Por favor, consulte aquí periódicamente para más actualizaciones! Done a nuestro Fondo de Emergencia COVID19
Si tiene abogadx en Se Hace Camino, por favor comuníquese con esa persona directamente, o espere a que esa persona se comunique con usted. Si tiene abogadx en otro lugar, por favor comuníquese con esa persona. Si no tiene un caso en la Corte de Vivienda pero tiene preguntas, vamos a mandar noticias apenas sean disponibles.

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Our COVID-19 Response | Make the Road New York

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Done a nuestro Fondo de Emergencia COVID19 En Se Hace Camino Nueva York estamos cambiando nuestro trabajo para responder a esta nueva realidad y proteger a nuestros miembros, personal y comunidad. Así es como hemos estado tomando medidas: Crear y difundir materiales precisos, bilingües y culturalmente competentes sobre el virus a nuestros miembros de 24 mil miembrxs y otros en nuestras comunidades.

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Bronx Mutual Aid (FAM) is a group of volunteers in the Bronx that assist families with many needs, whether financial or by delivering items they may need at this time.
Call 661-381-1206 to speak to our Community Care intake volunteers or fill out the form below.

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If  you cannot go out to get food and no one can bring you food, NYC is delivering emergency meals. Sign up on this link for 2 days of deliveries.

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The Laboratory School of Finance Pintrist Board: Positivity

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The Laboratory School of Finance Pintrist Board: Positivity

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All Lab School Pintrist Boards: https://www.pinterest.com/labfintech/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzeK53VV1To&feature=youtu.be

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The H&H Gotham Health Center Morrisania located at 1225 Gerard Avenue, (Between 167th & 168th Street), Bronx, will be open for COVID testing Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm. Priority will be given to older residents 65 years and older with pre-existing health conditions.

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from Fresh Youth

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We miss you all! Browse this page for the latest information about virtual programs, pre-recorded videos of fun activities you can do at home, one-on-one tutoring help, and more!

Tutoring

FYI is here to help with remote learning. Please click this link to schedule a conversation with FYI Staff about technology or your tutoring needs.

FYI's Virtual Activity Hub for Students

FYI is creating a Google Classroom to resume our regularly scheduled programs online. In the coming days, access to interactive programming via Zoom for FYI participants will be posted.

In the meantime, staff have been creating videos to bring your favorite activities to your home. In the videos below, you will be able to read along to your favorite books with Carolyn, learn about STEM through fun DIY experiments with Amy, and workout with Moises. We are adding more videos to our collection every day!

FYI Storytime

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Activities at Home - FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES

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We miss you all! Browse this page for the latest information about virtual programs, pre-recorded videos of fun activities you can do at home, one-on-one tutoring help, and more! FYI is here to help with remote learning. Please click this link to schedule a conversation with FYI Staff about technology or your tutoring needs.

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You should not be afraid to seek medical care because of your immigration status. There is no ICE presence in hospitals, and you do not need to disclose your immigration status when going to the emergency room to access services.

Use of health services related to COVID-19 will NOT be considered under the Public Charge rule and will NOT impact your ability to apply for a green card or citizenship.

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC): Do you have questions regarding your immigration application or status? Call NMIC’s temporary hotline at (929) 512-4496. The Hotline is open Mondays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

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Call the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) 24-hour hotline for additional information: (212)-361-0584, or the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) office, also 24/7 at (917) 521-3900.

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Resources from Bronx Works

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BronxWorks has several homelessness prevention programs designed to help low-income renters in emergency situations achieve housing stability and better lives. For most programs you do not need to be on welfare to get help. These services are free.

Our experienced staff will help you:

Understand the legal process

Inform you of your tenant rights

Seek funds for emergency rental assistance and utility assistance

Navigate housing court

Work with you to avoid eviction

Help you take measures to prevent threats of eviction from reoccurring

Eviction Prevention programs include:

Family Eviction Prevention Supplement (FEPS) Application Assistance: This program assists families on public assistance with children under the age of 18 (or 18 and in high school) that have rent above their shelter allowance apply for the FEPS supplement.
Click here for more information about applying for FEPS...

HomeBase: BronxWorks' shelter prevention program for residents of Bronx Community Districts 1 and 4.
Click here for more information about applying to HomeBase...

Homelessness Prevention and Relocation Support Services Program: An eviction prevention program to assist residents who have Section 8 vouchers from the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), located at 100 Gold Street.
Click here for more information about applying to the HPRSS Program...

Emergency Needs for the Homeless Program: An eviction prevention program for help families with children under the age of 18 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and in need of emergency services.
Click here for more information about applying to ENHP...

Seniors Homelessness Prevention Project: SHPP helps low-income Bronx residents aged 60 years or older avoid eviction. This program works with seniors who have active cases against them in Bronx Housing Court.
Click here for more information about SHPP...

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BronxWorks has several homelessness prevention programs designed to help low-income renters in emergency situations achieve housing stability and better lives. For most programs you do not need to be on welfare to get help. These services are free.

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As of Monday, March 16, eviction proceedings and pending orders will be suspended statewide until further notice. Housing court functions such as landlord lockouts, repair orders, and serious code violations will continue.

As of Thursday, March 19, New York has implemented a 90-day foreclosure moratorium and mortgage relief period for owners who can demonstrate they are not able to make timely payments due to the impact of the virus.

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Free COVID-19 Online Health Services from HeyDoctor

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Free COVID-19 Online Health Services from HeyDoctor

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Same-day appointments available

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Get advice, prescriptions, and labs from expert doctors and nurses today. You can use your local pharmacy or get prescriptions by mail. Most visits are only $20 and no insurance is necessary.

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You are not alone. We understand home is not always safe.

If you are self-quarantined in a dangerous or violent domestic situation, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

NYC HOPE can connect you to resources to help you or a loved one experiencing dating, domestic, or gender-based violence. Visit their website or call their 24-hour hotline at 1-800-621-4673.

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We will be updating this page frequently as more resources are made known to us.

FYI Participants and Families: We are available Monday through Friday at the phone numbers below. Call the FYI Staff person listed for your program with any questions or concerns.

We can help you if:

You feel low and need someone to talk to

You need help with your remote learning technology

You are confused with your homework assignment

"Grab and Go" Meals

The Department of Education is making three free meals available daily for ALL New Yorkers in more than 400 Meal Hubs across the 5 boroughs. No registration, ID, or documentation is required. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner may be picked up at the same time. Parents and guardians may pick up meals for their children. No one will be turned away at any time.

Don't see a location near you? Find a free meal location near your home here or text "FOOD" or "COMIDA" to 877-877.

Citywide Food Pantries

World Central Kitchen (Bronx, Harlem, and Queens)

New York Common Pantry - one of the city's largest food pantries and soup kitchens - welcomes new clients for intake at their 8 East 109th Street site from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday - Saturday. Food distribution hours are between 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Wednesday - Saturday. Hot lunches are provided from 2:30 - 3:30 PM, Monday - Friday. "Brown Bag" distribution is 4 - 5 pm on weekends. They've also added a seniors-only (age 60+) food distribution on Mondays from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Email NYCPServices@nycommonpantry.org or call (917) 720-9700 for help. Take the M2 bus from 168th St/Broadway to 109th St/5th Ave!

Food Access & Meal Delivery
NYC Food Delivery Assistance
This website is intended for individuals and families who meet all of the following criteria as a result of the COVID-19 emergency:

No members of the household can go out and get food because they are at increased medical risk or homebound

No neighbors or family members can go out and get food for you

Do not receive meal assistance from other providers (including "Meals on Wheels" or "Gods Love We Deliver"); and

You are unable to afford meal delivery or grocery delivery

Households that qualify may place an order once every two days. Each order will contain two days of meals (4 meals per person in the household, but no household will receive more than 8 meals per delivery).

Orders placed before 11:00 AM will be delivered within two days of the order date. Orders placed after 11:00 AM will be delivered within three days of the order date.

Helping Hands for the Disabled of NYCFood Pantry Available for Disabled People: we can bring food to you. Call (718) 606-9712.

Meals for Seniors (60 years old and above)
Senior centers are closed throughout NYC, but are still offering certain services. Starting March 30, all Department For The Aging (DFTA) funded Senior Centers transitioned away from grab-and-go and are now providing meals through a centralized Meal Delivery program.

Seniors who are already registered with a senior center will receive a 5 meal package once per week and will be notified of their delivery via phone call

Seniors (homebound or not) can email agingconnect@aging.nyc.gov, or call Aging Connect at (212)-244-6469 or 311 to set up directly delivered meals

Homebound seniors can also sign up for home-delivered meals by clicking on the name of a DFTA-funded case management agency here and calling the listed phone number

Citymeals on Wheelsdelivers meals to seniors meeting the following criteria:

Must be 60 years of age or older

Must be unable to prepare nutritious meals or have no one to do so for you

Must be able to live sagely at home if services are provided to you

Must be physically or mentally incapacitated and in need of some assistance

Even if you receive home care or Medicaid, you are still eligible to get meals if the home care worker cannot prepare a meal to fit your dietary or religious restrictions, or if he or she is designated to assist only with other tasks. Click this link and enter your zip code at the bottom of the page to sign up, or call the organization at (212) 687-1234.

Other Organizations

Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center: As New York City faces increasing closures and changes to everyday life due to coronavirus (COVID-19), the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center aims to provide additional resources and support to community members whose lives are impacted by COVID-19. Click here for our Coronavirus NYC Food Resource Guide: Washington Heights/Inwood.

If you or someone you know has additional questions or is facing hunger or food insecurity please contact us at info@nycfoodpolicy.org.
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Access HRA

Access HRA is New York City's website for New Yorkers to search for benefits and program eligibility, learn how to apply, gather required documents, and find local help.
On the Access HRA website, you will learn if you are eligible for:

WIC - healthy food for families

Cash Assistance - cash help when you are in need

30+ other programs eligible for families and individuals, regardless of immigration status.

If you already have SNAP benefits, you can shop online for fresh produce and groceries. Click here to learn more.

For Assistance

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC): Do you need to apply for, renew, or make changes to your public benefits? Call NMIC's temporary hotline at (929) 512-4469. The Hotline is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

FYI: FYI Staff are available to assist you in navigating the system, too. For assistance, please contact:

Alessandro Guimaraes
aguimaraes@freshyouth.org
(914) 810-4550

Jessica Parra
jparra@freshyouth.org
(929) 278-5411
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The federal government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on March 27, 2020, which includes extended unemployment benefits. If you are currently receiving benefits, there is nothing you need to do as your benefits will be updated automatically.

New York State is waiving the 7-day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) closures or quarantines.
If you are filing a new unemployment insurance claim, the day you should file is based on the first letter of your last name.

If your last name starts with A - F, file your claim on Monday

If your last name starts with G - N, file your claim on Tuesday

If your last name starts with O - Z, file your claim on Wednesday

If you missed your filing day, file your claim on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Filing later in the week will not delay your payments or affect the date of your claim.

All claims are effective on the Monday of the week in which they are filed.

For Assistance

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC): Has the spread of COVID-19 affected your ability to work? You may be eligible for unemployment benefits. We can help you apply. Call NMIC's temporary hotline at (929) 512-4476. The Hotline is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

FYI: For help navigating the unemployment system, contact:

Alessandro Guimaraes
aguimaraes@freshyouth.org
(914) 810-4550

Jessica Parra
jparra@freshyouth.org
(929) 278-5411

Additional Resources
How to File Your Unemployment Insurance Claim Online
Return to Top New York State Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Benefits FAQ
Legal Aid Society-NYC "Scenarios and Benefits for Workers"
Legal Aid Society Attorney Richard Blum answers commonly asked unemployment questions on WNYC

The Human Resources Administration (HRA) will provide financial assistance to individuals in need of assistance to meet funeral expenses. Low-income New York City residents may be eligible for up to $900 in financial assistance to meet funeral expenses for a deceased low income New York City resident family member or friend. NOTE: The form must be completed within 60 days of the date of death of the individual for whom the financial assistance is requested.
View the Application for Burial Allowance and find out more about what the HRA will cover.
Burial Allowance Applications and supporting documents may be submitted in person, or by email at BurialServices@hra.nyc.gov or by fax at (917) 639-0476.
The HRA office is now located at:
33-28 Northern Blvd
3rd Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101

Phone: (718) 473-8310

The HRA's office hours are limited, but they are open to the public on Wednesdays between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
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If you believe your employer is violating existing labor laws or recently issued executive orders:
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New York State Youth Leadership Council: Undocu-Funds

Important information for undocumented families! The New York State Youth Leadership Council has an Emergency Fund for Undocumented Youth and Families. Click here to fill out the short application.
More information coming soon! Return to Top

FYI Clinical Team

FYI's Clinical Team is here to help. If you are feeling low and need someone to talk to, please reach out to any of our clinical staff at the times listed below.

For self care exercises, please visit our Self Care page.

NYC Well

NYC Well offers free, confidential mental health support. To speak with a counselor, call 1-888-692-9355.

NYS Mental Health Hotline

Volunteer mental health professionals are available for emotional support and referral services 7 days a week, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, call 1-844-863-9314.
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Domestic Violence

You are not alone. We understand home is not always safe.

If you are self-quarantined in a dangerous or violent domestic situation, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

NYC HOPE can connect you to resources to help you or a loved one experiencing dating, domestic, or gender-based violence. Visit their website or call their 24-hour hotline at 1-800-621-4673.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Attend online meetings with SMART Recovery

Narcotics Anonymous

Attend online meetings with Narcotics Anonymous - Greater New York Region
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SOMOS Community Care Center will be opening a walk-in COVID-19 Testing Center at Centro Medico Dominicano as part of its efforts to continue to expand and serve the community as part of the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Location: 2360 Amsterdam Avenue #M1, New York, NY 10033

Time: Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY*
To schedule an appointment, call: (888) 364-3065
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As of Monday, March 16, eviction proceedings and pending orders will be suspended statewide until further notice. Housing court functions such as landlord lockouts, repair orders, and serious code violations will continue.

As of Thursday, March 19, New York has implemented a 90-day foreclosure moratorium and mortgage relief period for owners who can demonstrate they are not able to make timely payments due to the impact of the virus.

Resources

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC): Are you experiencing harassment from your landlord or do you need advice on a housing issue? Call NMIC's temporary hotline at (929) 512-4565. The Hotline is open on Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Tenants Rights Hotline by the Met Council on Housing: (212) 979-0611 (English and Spanish), or click here for more info.

Report attempted evictions! Anyone with knowledge of City marshals attempting to execute on warrants of eviction can report this activity by calling DOI's Bureau of City Marshals at (212) 825-5953.

Support for Eviction Prevention: Bronx Works, Catholic Charities (helps regardless of denomination), Coalition for the Homeless
NYCHA Information For Residents Struggling with Rent Hardships: click here!
Local Shelters and Transitional Housing
Please call before visiting in case of changes.
Many organizations that normally require proof of residence or ID are making exceptions due to coronavirus and extending services to people who are homeless or in crisis without documentation.

Additional Resources

Call the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) 24-hour hotline for additional information: (212)-361-0584, or the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) office, also 24/7 at (917) 521-3900.

As of Friday, March 13, New York utilities have volunteered to suspend utility shut-offs for power, heat and water for all customers.

Free WiFi at home:

Comcast Xfinity: offering Essentials internet service designed for low-income families free for 60 days for new qualifying customers. Visit their website for more information. Call 1-855-8-INTERNET for set up.

Spectrum: households with K-12 students can get free Spectrum Wifi for 60 days (including free installation for new customers). Call 1-844-488-8395 for set up.

WiFi via Smartphone:

Metro PCS, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Comcast are all lifting their unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for at least 60 days. Contact your cellphone provider for more information.

MetroPCS will allow you to add a free 10GB of mobile hotspot per month by adding an add on service available in the MyMetro app, MyAccount or by calling Care at 611.

T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile are providing customers an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot/tethering service for the next 60 days coming soon.

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The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities has created a new webpage full of resources for New Yorkers with Disabilities during COVID-19. For more information on food supply and/or delivery, Social Security or Medicaid Benefits, Home Healthcare Services, and more, please visit their website.

Citywide Services

Center for Independence of the Disabled, NYThis organization is available by telephone only. Please call the Manhattan office: (212) 674-2300

American Sign Language (ASL)-speaking clients can call the Manhattan Office video phone at (646) 350-2681.

Helping Hands for the Disabled of NYCAction Line: We are here for you from 9:00AM - 9:00PM, seven days per week. Call (718) 606-9712

Food Pantry Available for Disabled People: we can bring food to you. Call (718) 606-9712.

Services in Washington Heights/Inwood

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COVID-19 Resources - FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES

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We will be updating this page frequently as more resources are made known to us. FYI Participants and Families: We are available Monday through Friday at the phone numbers below. Call the FYI Staff person listed for your program with any questions or concerns.

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COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 7: Ayuda para las Familias

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COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 7: Ayuda para las Familias

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COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 7: Assistance for Families

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COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 7: Assistance for Families