Fostering Creativity: Ennis Center for Children

01/21/2021

Amanda Gorman

Finally get to share the cover of my first children’s book!! I wrote “Change Sings” as a children’s anthem to remind young readers that they have the power to shape the world. The poem is illustrated by the incredible @thelorenlong , the artist behind Barack Obama’s children’s book Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to my Daughters, and I could not be more humbled by the beauty he brought to my words. It will be released by @vikingbooks @penguinrandomhouse this September.
👉🏿📚Pre-order it at the link in bio to be the first to own it!🔗🔗

P.S.
I felt strongly that the book should come out in 2021, when children would be facing the results of the 2020 election and whatever those would be, I wanted them to know they were the leaders of the future. I had no idea that around the same time I myself would be named the youngest inaugural poet at that time! So I am too learning and living the lesson of “Change Sings” ☺️

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634480/change-sings-by-amanda-gorman-illustrated-by-loren-long/?ref=PRHB67C865468&aid=48842&linkid=PRHB67C865468

01/21/2021

01/15/2021

5 minutes a day

♡

01/14/2021

Dream Big MLK Martin Luther King Jr. Activity — KinderArt

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up quick! You can download this free #dreambigMLK activity at the link below.

https://kinderart.com/blog/dream-big-mlk/

Learn how you and your child can make Wish Tags to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. In partnership with Education.com.

01/13/2021

Art Therpay Directives Using Finger Labyrinths

This technique is used to clear your mind, focus on your breath and find your center.

https://christabrennan.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/art-therpay-directives-using-finger-labyrinths/

Labyrinths have been used to aid in worship and mediation since the Middle Ages. A labyrinth is different than a maze in that there is one path that leads right to the center, no dead ends, no misl…

01/11/2021

Studio Production | Flint, MI | Bangtown Productions & Recordings

Fostering Creativity has kicked off its first group of the year with Studio-on-the-Go, Bangtown Productions & Recordings. It's great to have you back working with our kids, Mr. Pharlon!

During Studio-on-the-Go, participants will compose music: creating beats (electronically), writing personal song lyrics, and recording and editing their creations. Participants will work independently and collectively, gaining skills in community & relationship building, conflict resolution, leadership, and literacy. The authentic sharing of personal ideas and feelings requires a safe space which is facilitated with the help of the group facilitator and support staff. This environment offers participants the opportunity to shine, sharing their internal worlds and talents via music creation. At the end of the year, participants will receive a completed full-length CD of their individual and group efforts.

Check out their website at https://bangtown.org/studio-on-the-go

At Bangtown Productions & Recordings, we believe children are the future. That’s why, through our nonprofit organization Studio On The Go, we’re on a mission to empower the next generation of artists and creators. We help kids discover the fun of writing, recording and producing their own music.

01/08/2021

You are brilliant and beautiful

♡

01/06/2021

Sometimes we get self care and maintenance/spending money confused with each other. Here are a few examples of diagrams to remind us of what self care looks like.

♡

01/04/2021

Forgiveness boxes are a great way to release negative emotions that you no longer wish to harbor & help you work towards a place of forgiveness.This box can be specific to yourself or another individual. Find a small box and decorate it with your choosing of images, words, sensory objects - its up to you. Maybe write a note, happy memories or the persons name and keep it in the box.

12/28/2020

Making a collage can be a relaxing way to de-stress. This exercise highlights the proximity between creation and destruction while encouraging the individual to take risks and to creatively push themselves.

12/22/2020

Remember that it is okay to set boundaries 💙 #selflove #Respect #arttherapy #boundaries

12/21/2020

Puppetry in art therapy can aid in the emotional healing of the client by combining verbal and non-verbal modes of expression. The therapist can observe the interaction between the puppets and the client’s response to the puppetry. Puppets can help express feelings or thoughts that may be hidden or repressed. There can be many roles the puppet plays, narratives and themes that can be brought out through play. This information along with other important aspects of the clients history can be used to aid in psychological assessment.

12/17/2020

The holidays can be stressful. This is for someone who needs to hear it ❤ stay strong.

12/14/2020

Self-portraits are often used in art therapy and within our art therapy groups here at Ennis. Below is a short excerpt from a paper on this topic. This excerpt sums up the self-portraiture project/directive pretty well.

"Self-portraiture can be a means of self-reflection and accepting the self. Art therapists can be informed of the benefits and drawbacks of recreating the self by examining the art of artists who experienced melancholy and depression... Self-portraiture is an introspective tool that can be beneficial with many client populations." - Simone Alter Muri, Ed. D.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197455607000482

12/11/2020

Fostering Creativity

Check out what Fostering Creativity has been up to this year....

Special thanks to our funders MCACA, Flint ReCast, and CCMO.

https://animoto.com/play/QJ4fvs7SMQaqEuIuycxZDQ

Animoto makes video creation easy! Animoto's video maker turns your photos and video clips into professional videos in minutes. Fast and shockingly simple!

12/11/2020

"In art therapy, dolls are used for healing as symbolic vessels and transitional objects. Dolls create a holding space for an individual’s emotions, as well as a tangible item to enact fantasies. Clients can project their thoughts onto the doll and share them with the art therapist during sessions. Having a doll as a metaphor to talk through makes it easier to share one’s innermost thoughts and feelings." - Ceara Genovesi

You can read the rest of this blog at https://arttherapyblog.sva.edu/?p=3052

Below are some examples that were made here at Ennis Center.

12/09/2020

Found poetry allows us an opportunity to tell stories about our life, what we know, and what is important to us. Working through the process can help us understand ourselves better and give our experiences meaning. Sharing those stories with other people let's us see ourselves and those other people in new ways. Participants in our found poetry groups use images, words, sounds, and objects to tell and share their stories. An example is pictured below.

12/07/2020

12/06/2020

Self Care 101

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/skinny-revisited/201805/self-care-101

10 ways to take better care of you

12/04/2020

💗

11/25/2020

Art Therapy

"The term "art therapy" was coined in 1942 by British artist Adrian Hill..."
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/art-therapy

In art therapy, the creative process may facilitate self-awareness and personal growth or assist individuals as they address areas of difficulty or concern.

11/24/2020

Does anybody have any questions for our Fostering Creativity team?

11/16/2020

10 Easy Art Therapy Techniques To Help You De-Stress

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_6103092?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9yLnNlYXJjaC55YWhvby5jb20vX3lsdD1Bd3JKN0oyOHhMSmZYTjRBZkdGeC45dzQ7X3lsdT1ZMjlzYndOaVpqRUVjRzl6QXpFRWRuUnBaQU1FYzJWakEzTmovUlY9Mi9SRT0xNjA1NTgwMDkzL1JPPTEwL1JVPWh0dHBzJTNhJTJmJTJmd3d3Lmh1ZmZwb3N0LmNvbSUyZmVudHJ5JTJmYXJ0LXRoZXJhcHktdGVjaG5pcXVlc19uXzYxMDMwOTIlMjMlM2F-JTNhdGV4dCUzZCUyNTIwMTAlMjUyMEVhc3klMjUyMEFydCUyNTIwVGhlcmFweSUyNTIwVGVjaG5pcXVlcyUyNTIwVG8lMjUyMEhlbHAlMmNmcm9tJTI1MjBmb2xrJTI1MjBhcnQlMjUyMGFuZCUyNTIwY3JlYXRlJTI1MjBhbi4uLiUyNTIwTW9yZSUyNTIwL1JLPTIvUlM9TFoxRWNTUHMzTVFmbnhoLjVPYkpiVm1ZMzVvLQ&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHuBAMabk1uvHMdgQpqMWA3bZkVREmrRmBZuSKgIZvcX1Mx-_CdV7ZGwPN2MPIAh6mf8X5lnVtVurrNO8qjeOUzmM4CAWYXrIrjLF6X4zBD26v6lGL1_aqKpcgzhBavIZe2DZtOZ7TK3Nm34HlFWqG_oNX9g-MTfSOhEbAuxlK0Q#:~:text=%2010%20Easy%20Art%20Therapy%20Techniques%20To%20Help,from%20folk%20art%20and%20create%20an...%20More%20

Art therapy is a form of therapy that encourages creativity and self-expression as vehicles to reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase awareness and...

11/02/2020

Michigan Association of Art Therapy

A "thankful" heart

10/30/2020

How Does Art Therapy Work for Patients?

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-art-therapy-2795755

Art therapy integrates psychotherapeutic techniques with the creative process to improve well being. Learn more and how to become an art therapist.

10/27/2020

Ennis Center for Children Inc.

We are still collecting donations to provide Thanksgiving dinner to our families. You can drop off in person, through our Amazon wishlist (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2U0XHRG7XW6TP?ref_=wl_share), or through our Gofund me account (gf.me/u/y47igj).

We appreciate your support!

09/24/2020

Deep breath my friends, today is a new day 🌞

09/18/2020

Community Foundation of Greater Flint

You count.
Your kids count.
Flintstones count.
Complete your census.
Make Flint count.
www.2020census.gov
844-330-2020

09/06/2020

Flint residents 60 and older get $10 gift cards, masks after completing 2020 Census

Flint residents 60 and older get $10 gift cards, masks after completing 2020 Census

The first 25 visitors to arrive on-site in the parking lot will receive a $10 Visa gift card and two masks.

08/31/2020

Steadily climbing.....

08/31/2020

‘Safe haven’ Ennis Center for Children continues services for foster kids amid coronavirus pandemic

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/08/safe-haven-ennis-center-for-children-continues-services-for-foster-kids-amid-coronavirus-pandemic.html

Both men say the Ennis Center for Children, a foster care and adoption agency located at the heart of Flint, helped them get to where they are today. Throughout the pandemic, the center has continued to service foster care children.

08/27/2020

Ennis Center for Children Inc.

Ennis Center for Children Inc.

There are so many youth available for adoption. Please Like and Share this video to help us find forever families for these sweet kiddos! 💙💙💙

08/26/2020

Ennis Center for Children Inc.

Reminder! This is happening TONIGHT!

08/26/2020

Black Voices | Kidcasts

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=black-voices-kidcasts-podcasts-for-children-audio

In these podcasts for families and children, Black hosts and voice actors spotlight fairy tales, historical figures, activism, and Black Lives Matter.

08/25/2020

Have you completed your census yet? You can complete your questionaire at https://my2020census.gov/