The Epicenter provides students with a unique experience of self-exploration and self-discovery through mindfulness practices and creative self-expression. This experience calms, centers, and grounds students. Although each session (class) is unique, they all have a few things in common:
An exploration into who you are.
Space to express yourself freely through whatever medium best suits you.
A focus on mindfulness, presence, and holistic wellbeing.
A direct connection to nature.
Below are a few examples of sessions we've run in the past.
An exploration into who you are.
Space to express yourself freely through whatever medium best suits you.
A focus on mindfulness, presence, and holistic wellbeing.
A direct connection to nature.
Below are a few examples of sessions we've run in the past.
Art. You. Powerful. II Summer Program
Weeklong intensive for all students.
Immersive weeklong summer experiences for grades 1-12 held at Mary A. White School in Grand Haven. Open to all students regardless of school affiliation.
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Camp Blodgett
Counselor support program.
The Epicenter provided counselor and staff support for Camp Blodgett in the summer 2024. We worked with campers (ages 8 -17) as well as staff and counselors (ages 18 - 24), providing on-site social-emotional support. This was an incredibly rewarding experience.
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LA's Best
Staff training.
The Epicenter shared perspectives on social-emotional learning to LA's Best tremendous staff.
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The Creative CollectiveCommunity art.
Weekly evening sessions for all ages at the Central Park Place Community Center in Grand Haven.
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GHAPS Art. You. Powerful.Afterschool programs.
Art. You. Powerful. is a one-of-a-kind afterschool experience that served the students of Grand Haven middle, intermediate, and elementary schools for the entirety of 2023-2024 school year.
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GHAPS UnleashedAfterschool programs for teens.Unleashed is a one-of-a-kind afterschool experience that served the students of Grand Haven High School and Central High School for the 2023-2024 school year.
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GHAPS SUMMER PROGRAMA new approach to mental health.
Grade-specific weeklong summer sessions for 1st - 8th grade students at Grand Haven Area Public Schools. Students left the programs with an increased understanding of their purpose, emotional landscape, and ability to creatively express themselves. More info here.
Ages 7 - 14 Held at Mary A. White Elementary in Grand Haven THE WINTER SESSIONS
Integrating nature, art, and reflection
Outdoor adventures that use mindfulness, the natural world, reflection, and creative self-expression to discover something new about ourselves. More info here.
Ages 10 -13 Held at the Outdoor Discovery Center in Holland |
CAMP BLODGETTSelf-reflection at summer camp.The Epicenter teamed up with Camp Blodgett in 2023 and 2024 to offer a one-of -a-kind experience of empowerment to local youth. We created an explorative, reflective, and creative space to supplement Camp Blodgett's already amazing summer experience.
Ages 10 - 18 Held at Camp Blodgett and Camp O'Malley SOUNDS LIKE...An exploration into sound.In this four-day workshop we explored different ways of visualizing the sounds within us and outside of us. We then created artwork that reflected our experience, using hi-tech tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers. We incorporated these tools into the class as a way to reframe technology as another means of creative self-expression. The workshop culminated in a public art show that featured the works of the students.
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ART. YOU. POWERFUL. DETROITThe power of art.
Bi-weekly sessions held over six months that were guided by a central theme and explored through mindfulness, discussion, and creative self- expression. More info here. This program is ongoing. It was run in 2023 and 2024.
Ages 6 - 18 Held at Orchards Children's Services in Detroit LEDsExpression through light.Students used color and movement to express themselves. Arduino boards were programmed to control LED lights that created a unique color palette reflecting the programmer. Students were then asked to move in a way that felt authentic to them while holding the LEDs. A camera was positioned to capture the movement, creating beautiful, unique portraits of students.
LEDs have also been used in our other sessions as a form of artistic expression. More info here. |
SUMMER SESSIONSWho are you?In these weeklong sessions children explored themselves and their relationship to nature through movement, reflection, writing, and creative expression. The activities each day were guided by a central theme: What are you?; How do you see yourself?; Who do you become for others?; Trust/courage and following our intuition; Embodying our authentic self. The week culminated in the painting of a mural that reflected each student's experience.
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INTERACTIVE READINGThe courage to be what you are.In these 2-hour sessions, we read The Mistake (a children's coloring book with the theme of having the courage to be what you are) as a group. We then discuss who we are, and how we sometimes conform to external expectations rather than follow our own internal compass. Based on the reading and our conversation, students are encouraged to respond through whatever medium they feel suits them best - writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, music, dance, play, etc.
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OBSTACLE COURSEEmpowerment through building.In this weekend session we created a space for authentic self-expression through activities that also incorporated play, strategic thinking, and learning new skills. Students were empowered to create something larger than themselves as a team as they worked to transform a yard into an obstacle course.
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IN YOUR EYESWhat do you see in your eyes?We set up a portrait studio for several weeks and invited people to have their portrait taken. As they stood in front of the camera, we asked them questions about their life as the camera captured their faces as they spoke. We then invited participants to review their photos, zooming in specifically on their eyes. We asked them what they saw in themselves. Many were surprised by how expressive and alive their eyes became when they were describing something that was meaningful to them. They were also intrigued by the visible differences between their left and right eyes. We shared the photos and encouraged participants to journal about their experience.
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REFLECTION
What do you see in the mirror?We created a reflective space by filling a tent with small mirrors. As people came into the space, we asked them to write what they saw in themselves on post-it notes. Those post-it notes were placed around the tent, creating a living installation of self-reflection and self-expression in our community.
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DISCOVERYWhat does it mean to be...?These sessions were run for one day or for a series of three days. Each asked the question, 'What does it mean to be...?' where the blank was filled in with concepts like strong, courageous, authentic, and healed. Students were encouraged to explore these themes by writing a comic book, discovering the theme in nature (through drawing, observing, testing), and ultimately discovering the theme within themselves (through artistic self-expression).
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Copyright 2024, The Epicenter.All Rights Reserved.
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The Epicenter, Santa Cruz, CA and Grand Haven, MI
[email protected]
The Epicenter, Santa Cruz, CA and Grand Haven, MI