Past projects 3
It's T.E.A. Time. Time, Energy & Attention Worth Sharing!
Funded Oct 23, 2023When Rob said, "Ms. Martin, I never made a cup of tea for myself!" I knew that this moment and the project would be memorable, so I thank you.
My students experienced a sacred time created to read, write, and have the T.E.A. (time, energy, and attention) they deserved. Our court-involved youth have been exposed to many negative things, people, and situations. Many come to us broken, angry, and needing soul care. I am thankful I can create brave spaces for them to admit, "I never did this before," and know it's ok. We are getting L.I.T. and learning intentionally together.
May God bless you all for your donations. Until next time.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin
Get L.I.T. (Learning Intentionally Together) With Ms. Martin, Summer 2023
Funded Jun 26, 2023Why Father's Cry At Night by Kwame Alexander has become a door for my students to enter and explore their self-awareness. This book has become a mentor text for their writing and mirrors the need for self-reflection. My students have learned the importance of regulating their emotions and how to expand their window of tolerance thanks to Kwame's authenticity about his journey.
We were able to do this because of your gracious donation. Thank you for your love and support. May God continue to shine his light and send his love to you and your loved ones!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin
Girls Like Us Are Destined to Fly Free!
Funded Aug 4, 2017The Destined to Fly Free Project is a great success and the school year just began. The creation of Writer's Notebooks with my girls was a moment that they will never forget. It was so liberating to see them decorate their notebooks with their unique styles, and the pens; my goodness, the pen is truly their weapon of choice now. They love the different colors and feel so proud to be able to write with a pen, instead of the traditional pencil that is used at all of our sites.
The Destined to Fly Free and Can Girls Run the World? books are life-changing books for our girls because they are incarcerated. We have set aside one day a week, where we just read and talk about books. The girls really appreciate this and mention that they don't usually get time to read.
Patricia McCormick is going to be visiting our girls starting this week and they will have an opportunity to write with her using their Writer's Notebooks. In addition to writing, we will be reading Memoirs written by women as we get ready to share our own stories with other girls like us who are destined to fly free.
I am truly blessed to be their advisor this year, this journey is one that is going to change their lives forever and I thank you all for making this possible.
"A poem for my girls"
This is a poem for my girls
Who have tried to kill themselves before
And have the marks to prove it
For my girls who wear makeup to hide their true beauty
This one is for you
For my girls who spent most of their lives trying to conform to the standards of this world
Only to realize that they can't capitulate
There is no surrendering to a lesser form of you
For my girls who thought that they wouldn't have made it through
For my girls who were raped by trusted hands
For my girls who have carried failure like a baby in their womb
A lifetime filled with contractions
Pushing pain into the future
For my girls who have been beaten down so much
They have created walls laden with cracks and bruises
Trying to stand
With bloody hands, bloody noses and bleeding hearts
Spilling through the cracks
Weak
Stepping on patterns of hate
Looking for a way out
Pain is not the lover of self
Pain can't be trusted
It distorts your vision for the future
Leaving you
A co-dependent of the past
This is a poem of recognition
I realize that you have been hurt
But the past can't be your future
Unless you remarry it again
Make love to your nightmares and push out more pain
This poem is a song of redemption
It cries from the belly
And it connects with the soul
Today your fears will diminish if you let your desires fly free
Take control
This will be your poem of certainty
A poem of flight
For my girls
To loosen their grips and know that it is okay to slip
Who hasn't fallen before?
Let them speak now
Silence
A shield and a sign
A poem for my girls for today they will live and rise
ABOVE THE STORM.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin