This week, we had our second session of our condensed PASTA program for youth and caregivers. More children were able to attend this time around and we wanted the plan to appeal to all, especially considering that their ages ranged from 6-15. It was a challenge to make everything accessible and applicable to the needs of all and we worked hard to create activities to bring everyone together. We continued with the idea of love languages, and used art to express their feelings about family. Another way we discussed their families was by reading a list of statements out loud and having them raise their hands when they agreed with them. One statement was, “I am relieved that I’m living with the people I’m living with now.” Another was, “I get upset that I have to live with the people I’m living with now.” Another example was, “I don’t fit in with friends my age who live with their own parents.” They then explored similarities with the rest of the group. We expressed that there can be many mixed emotions that are normal within kinship families, and stressed that there was no right or wrong way to feel. Screen Shot 2021-08-09 at 12.31.09 PM