New Destiny Family Success Centers’ Inc. Presents….

Journey to Restoration
Art Therapy Campaign

The year 2020 was a time that caught many of us off guard, filled with many twists and turns. Some of us suffered loss of family members, friends, jobs, health and even hope. We have contemplated ways to encourage and uplift our community. Consequently, an opportunity has opened for New Destiny Family Success Center, through funding received from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, to host Journey to Restoration.

Over the next 4 months, NDFSC will host a series of events created to help individuals and families navigate through the wide range of emotions experienced in 2020. We will use various expressions of art to explore different emotions, as art has been medically proven to be a powerful and effective way to heal… Learn More

We have entered into 2021 and there is an expectation for many to process, move forward and convert any negative energy leftover from 2020 into positive energy in 2021 and beyond. NDFSC offers “The Journey to Restoration” as a stepping-stone to support many of us in advancing forward with enhanced knowledge, awareness, tools using diverse expressions of art.

We invite you to come journey with us as we each explore our unique creative expressions to restore new levels of peace, wholeness and hope.

Journey to Restoration will explore various stages of emotions starting with anger, stress, tension and ending with joy, freedom, and optimism.

Stage 1: #MarchMadness - Acknowledging and then releasing anger, stress, and tension.

Zumba - Adults only
Dance and movement are effective ways to release built up stress, tension and anger in the body. It is medically verified that these emotions can manifest in physical ailments. Join us for 5 weeks starting in March as you dance your way to freedom! This Zumba course is also paired with Nutrition classes to equip you with healthy eating options! It is the perfect combination of physical and mental health. (Please be sure to check with your physician to make sure you are medically cleared to participate in this fitness activity).

Register here for Zumba
Journaling - Parent and Child(ren)/ All Ages
Building a healthy journaling habit provides lifelong benefits. By writing out your thoughts, worries, and fears you can begin to confront them and possibly even see some of them from a different perspective. Writing can also be an effective coping mechanism when feelings of anger arise. Join us in this workshop for an introduction to journaling and how to release negative feelings.

Stage 2: #AprilShowersBringMayFlowers - Dealing with heavier emotions such as grief, sadness, loneliness and isolation.

Self Portraits
As humans, we are built to share life and experiences with others. We do better when surrounded by loving family, friends, and neighbors. But what happens when we are “forced” to be alone? Or, when we spend so much time with others that we barely know ourselves? Although humans do benefit from connectedness and togetherness, if not aware of certain knowledge, it can very well be unhealthy. It is crucial to understand that everything you need is already within you. For example, when you feel joy with others, that joy is already within you. This workshop will highlight learning to love spending time with yourself and realizing that you do not always need external sources of happiness and love.

Register here for Self Portraits
Poetry/Spoken Word
We know that writing is a way to express ourselves and feelings. Writing comes in various forms, i.e. journaling, poetry, prose. Join us for an introduction to poetry and spoken word and create a work of art that highlights exactly what you are feeling or have felt. By doing so, you can translate heavy or light emotions into a beautiful work of artistic expression.

Register here for Poetry/Spoken Word

Stage 3: #MayYouSeeABrighterDay - Approaching restoration, but there are a few things we need to clear up first. Focusing on building resiliency, forgiveness, healing and recovery.

Kintsugi
Kintsugi is the Japanese Art of Repair. This is a 400+ year art that repairs broken ceramics by mending the cracks with gold, silver or platinum lacquer. Andrea Mantovani vocalizes that Kintsugi is a, “method that honors the artifact’s unique history by emphasizing, not hiding, the break.” This workshop demonstrates that no matter how broken you think you may be, you are not. You are resilient. All anybody needs is a little attentive repair/healing. Kintsugi mostly uses gold to bring the pieces together again.
Rock Art - All Ages
This is sure to be a fun-filled activity for the family. Each participant will do a nature walk to identify a small smooth surfaced rock that can be held in the palm of their hands. The experience will involve painting an inspirational message on a rock that can be placed in your home or outside around the place where you live. This is to usher in a fresh & new energies into your life. As you and others pass by the rock, it is there to remind you of the positive feeling you wanted to share as you were decorating and designing it. Let this be a fun way to explore your creativity with colors, shapes and words that bring joy and positivity.
Mothers Day Paint & Brunch
Mothers by nature are selfless beings. However, it’s difficult to show up in life as your highest and best self if you are disregarding your own personal needs. Mothers who repeatedly prioritize others’ needs over their own needs, over the course of time, may end up emotionally, mentally, & physically drained. That can possibly manifest as unhappiness & anger or resentment towards children and others around them. Join us for this event as we honor Mothers and help them to prioritize “me-time” and get equipped with tools for self-care in their routines. In-person or virtual has not yet been determined. Please check back for updates.

Stage 4: June #ANewDestiny - Focusing on embracing and holding on to joy, happiness and faith. No longer looking down, the new destiny is only upwards.

Photography & Graphic Design
The final stage in the cycle of restoration challenges the community to capture, illustrate and/or design something that brings them hope for the future. Something that reminds them how beautiful life is, despite all of the challenges. We will have facilitators to give an introduction to Photography & Graphic Design.
Art Showcase in June
Date & Time: TBA Join us for the Art Showcase in June to view and/or hear all of the art created over the past 4 months. Light Refreshments, Music, Guest Speakers, & More! In-person tentative on CDC’s COVID-19 Precautions