The Philadelphia Housing Authority and the National Alliance on Mental Illness hosted a therapeutic songwriting workshop for youth ages 4 to 13, creating a creative outlet for young people to express themselves and discuss mental health.
Children gathered at PHA’s North Philadelphia office to write songs about their emotions, shouting out things that made them feel happy such as eating favorite foods, playing with friends, and spending time with family. The workshop was designed to give participants a creative way to explore their feelings and build social-emotional skills. Ashley Murray, youth peer navigator for NAMI, guided the activity, while Tyraneika Brown, family enrichment program coordinator for PHA’s Youth and Family Center, arranged the session.
Brown said the workshop fills a need in the community. “It’s a need in our community. A lot of people don’t talk about it, a lot of people don’t bring awareness,” she said. Growing up, Brown had no conversations around her about mental health and wellness, but upon working with youth, she recognized how important it is to have these discussions and outlets for expression as early as possible.
The songwriting workshop is part of a monthly series for the Youth and Family Center’s “Friendship Club,” which aims to facilitate more activities and creative expression workshops for youth in Philadelphia. Murray explained that these outlets are an important and fun way to build skills. She got the idea from her own childhood, when she wrote songs about her emotions and experiences in a journal her parents gave her. Murray’s boss, Kyle Carter, CEO of NAMI, encouraged her to teach this coping skill to others.
Mahki Goodman, one of the youth who attended with his brothers, noted that “mental health plays a major role in overall wellness. Their mental health all depends on if they’re in a good state of mind.” Murray said she initially believed she was the only one who felt stifled by not talking about her emotions when younger. “I realized there are people from different age groups, sections of the city, etc., who have experienced similar things,” she said. PHA posts information about workshops and other activities on its social media channels.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-housing-authority-nami-mental-health-awareness/