In our March Retreat, we focused on strengthening communication and self-care within the integration movement. In order to explore how we can communicate with both other movement-builders and everyday people, we did roleplaying activities, coalition competitions, and even a game of Mafia. Many people thought the role-playing activities were especially educational, as we explored how conversations with friends and family could look like when discussing the work IntegrateNYC does. Youth representatives from RJI (Restorative Justice Initiative) also presented to the Integrate team about Restorative Justice and what implementing this value throughout public education could look like.

Self-care was another core focus of the retreat. We always had breaks after long or heavy discussions that allowed us to take a moment to reflect and recenter before our next activity. An expert came in and performed a “Sound Bath” for the team, an amazing de-stress activity that even put one team member to sleep. Moments and initiatives like these allowed me and other team members to understand the value of self-care in what can be exhaustive work.