Telling It

Mission: To enhance social emotional learning and support well-being using a blend of expressive arts and social work methods.

Telling It is hard at work in the community providing a program that offers safe, uncensored and judgment-free spaces so that our young people can build skills that support their resiliency and core strengths and while providing a place where they can process their hurts and pain.

We are serving children and teens living in Washtenaw County since 2002. We meet young people where they are and listen to their stories using an innovative blend of expressive arts activities that promote candid sharing and the building blocks of self-knowledge. Our teams, led by an experienced facilitator and social worker, are skillful in the ways that the brain, body and emotions work together to ensure healthy development. We make sure children and teens are provided with the community resources they need.

Telling It collaborates with SOS Community Services, and Ypsilanti Community Middle School located in Washtenaw County to offer our services and programming. Participants, children through adults, in age-appropriate groups collaborate, create and drive content in uncensored, emotionally safe and judgement-free spaces.

Telling It staff members are committed to ensuring that our youth know that their lives and safety matter. Our core principles for youth engagement are:

• In collaboration with our community stakeholders, local artists and most importantly the youth themselves, rigorously trained Telling It teams support youth in their communities by co-creating a youth-driven, healing and safe environment that fosters trust without censorship or judgment.
• Expressive arts and experiential learning opportunities are offered for youth to process their hurts and build upon their existing strengths to address their social emotional needs.