In the spring of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, a school we work with asked us to lead weekly sessions every Tuesday evening for any grade 12 student that wanted to attend. The goal was to try to offer some kind of footing at a seemingly groundless time. The students would choose the topic that they wanted to focus on for the following week. They shaped the lessons based on what they were feeling, thinking and wondering about. Sessions looked at deepening values, nurturing healthy boundaries, focusing on positive self-talk, recognizing and learning from our thinking traps, and learning how to build a resiliency action plan. We wrote together, shared our vulnerabilities, fears of the unknown and simply created a space for one another to be seen and heard. The workshops created were rooted in positive psychology, aimed at helping them navigate what at times felt like a black hole.
Over many weeks these sessions not only became an anchor for the students, but for the whole group, including the teachers and the facilitators.
The Anchor Sessions have continued to evolve over time. They will continue to be student directed, and rooted with the same goal in mind as the beginning, which is to help everyone find ways to embrace the uncertainty of life, to learn how to anchor themselves in a storm, and to keep moving forward. As Bob Goff said, “ Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.”
Please be in touch if you wish to learn more. Also please visit our March Break page, as we will be offering two, one-week Anchor Session programs within the month.