As one school year ends, a new one is quickly approaching! The Education & Prevention team at My Sisters’ Place brings informative and interactive workshops to middle school and high school students across Westchester County. We had the opportunity to sit down with two of our educators, Jay and Cris, to talk about the amazing work that they do, educating students about healthy relationships.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU DO AT MY SISTERS' PLACE.
Jay: I'm the Manager of Youth Education and Prevention, which means I oversee and coordinate with teachers and community group leaders to schedule the workshops, presentations, and discussion groups that the Education team provides to elementary, middle, and high school students in Westchester. I work alongside Cris to create and mediate conversations with students about healthy relationships. Together, we’re constantly examining and updating our materials to make sure that our workshops are educational and relatable to the participants. Besides workshops, we also facilitate student discussion groups to further explore and understand the dynamics of their relationships with others and themselves.
Cris: I’m a first-generation Latina and a recent graduate from Manhattanville College with a major in Sociology and minors in Women and Gender Studies and Spanish. I enjoy reading Spanish authors like Isabel Allende, Federico Garcia Lorca, Sor Juana Ines, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Also, I like to go on runs as my form of self-care. I have a passion for education, a pillar in my life that coincides with what I do at MSP. I’m the new Community Educator and work within Westchester County schools to provide Healthy Relationship workshops. These workshops cover the importance of having healthy relationships with others but most importantly yourself. I also facilitate Relationship Empowerment and Leadership (REAL) groups to talk about topics that students want to talk about, such as consent and boundaries, healthy relationships, and self-care.
WHAT ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS YOU WERE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE DURING THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR?
Cris: A highlight I was able to experience during my first school year as MSP’s community educator was facilitating REAL groups. It was amazing to see how much the students and I had in common, such as our cultures, families, and upbringings. I began realizing in that moment that I’m healing my inner child; I wish I could have had these conversations when I was younger.
Jay: One of the big highlights for me has to have been helping them understand their importance when it comes to their relationships and how their needs and wants should always be respected. Many students know what a romantic relationship is and what it looks like, but they didn't really recognize that the relationship they have with themselves is the most important. As we always say, “The longest relationship that you are going to have in your life is the relationship that you have with yourself.”
WHAT NEW GOALS AND PLANS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR?
Jay: We have a few things in the works for the next school year like collaborating with our team member, Jackie Mamorsky, to develop a curriculum for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. This initiative started before I joined MSP, and we’re finally in the stages of creating activities. We’re also rebooting our SAFER (Students Advocating for Equal Relationships) program in the fall, which is a space for high school students to further collaborate on projects and work together to create safer communities. I’m also working on bringing back a day conference for Westchester students to take part in workshops and discussions about healthy relationships in their lives. So, you could say we have lots of exciting things coming up!
Cris: I’m excited for all of these new initiatives, so we can continue creating more connections with youth in the community and allowing them the space to just be themselves and be heard. It’s important for us to let them know that their voices matter.
Jay: That reminds me of a moment in one of our discussion groups when a participant shared that they were “counting down the days” until they would see me again. Even in moments when I didn’t feel like I was doing my best, they reminded me that regardless of agendas and ideas, they still felt valued in the spaces I was holding. Another moment was after a workshop when a student who wasn’t even in our classes heard I was there and wanted to say hi because they never had an opportunity to meet a queer adult before. These connections are so important in helping students feel empowered.
IS THERE ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS OR HIGHLIGHT?
Jay: We’re excited to be working with the community more and hope to bring our Healthy Relationships workshops and discussion groups to even more students from across Westchester. I hope to create more spaces for student leadership opportunities and can’t wait for the school year to start!
Cris: I just want to add that I’m so happy to be part of an organization and team that values the importance of taking care of yourself. If we can’t take care of ourselves, how can we be there for the community we serve?
To learn more about our education & prevention program and how to bring MSP into your school, contact dvepstaff@mspny.org.