ABOUT THE CLASS This summer, I will be teaching a 3 week intensive class titled: “Mi Cuerpo Recuerda: A Youth Health and Wellness Class.” I am excited because this will be the second summer I teach the class. Last year I had the honor of working with 13 amazing young girls from our school. This year, I have a co facilitator and we were able to increase the enrollment of the class to 25 students. The purpose of the class is to offer the youth with skills and knowledge around indigenous ways of health and wellbeing. At the core of the class is a hands on experience making different forms of medicine like massage oils, bath salts, tea blends to help the youth process emotional and physical issues they are dealing with. Last year, some of the youth in the class had been victims of assaults in the community, were addicted to drugs, had attempted suicide, had been raped, and were overall struggling in their daily life. This year the student population is similar and the class offers a space for them to re-connect with themselves and gain tools that can help them deal with the impact of their experiences and to inspire them to envision a new perspective about life. The class also focuses on helping them reflect about how historical trauma, social toxins, and other health issues impact the access they have to caring for themselves.

Why Donate? Here are some words from our 2013 Mi Cuerpo Recuerda Alumni and 2014 Youth Facilitator.

ABOUT THE VISIONARY

My name is Berenice Dimas and I am currently a 9th grade Health teacher at ARISE High School in East Oakland. My work involves creating meaningful and transformational health curriculum in the classroom. I have also been facilitating healing workshops in the community that provide clarity, resources, spaces of reflection, support, and awareness for 6 years. My work aspires to help people regain hope and strength in order for them to continue changing the world. You can learn more about my work by visiting my website www.berenicedimas.com

WHY THE CLASS: THE REALITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE’S HEALTH IN OAKLAND

According to the California Endowment, "13% of children age 0-17 report “fair/poor” health in East Oakland compared to 5% in Alameda County and 7% in California." Youth in East Oakand have some of the highest reported poor health conditions in California.

Research from Youth Uprising found that “East Oakland residents have disproportionately high rates of chronic disease—asthma, diabetes, obesity, mental disorder, emergency room visits, assaults and a teen birth twice as high as the county."

The youth indicator report also states that, "Oakland ranks second among cities in Alameda County with the highest rate of Emergency Department visits for mental health disorders.”

In adition to having some of the poorest health in California, youth in East Oakland also have dispraportionally higher rates of many diseases. The environmental conditions in the community highly impact the way youth view and value their life. With high rates of crime and violence added to ther health disparities, many young people I interact with every day do not see themselves living past their teen years. They constantly ask me why? what is the poitn of living and being healthy if I am going to die anyways? Through the health class, I have been able to help them understand the value of their life. I try to remind them that the world needs them and that there is more to life than drugs, violence, and death. We have created spaces where they see how their lives are not meant to be disposable and that taking care of themselves can be a beautiful thing. They inspire me to do the work I am doing. They asked for me to teach the class. This vision is their vision and request. 

WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?

Your contributions to my class will pay for materials (jars, herbs, supplies for different forms of medicine making) healthy food/snacks for the students during our camping trip and when we go to an elder's house to be part of a sweat lodge, workshop facilitators (we are lucky to have 10 different community healers donate their time to do workshops for the youth so we wnat to give them a small honorarium for donating their time) and their supplies, one major camping retreat (we will be going to some hot springs near the area and for some of the youth this will be their first time camping), and two 15-passenger vans for the camping retreat.

As a thank you for your support, the youth will prepare care packages and a reflection about how the class impacted their understanding of health and their life. You will get personalized thank you cards form the students and you will also get a copy of the East Oakland Youth Health Survival Guide that we will have completed by the end of the class.

For those that donate $150-250 and you are in the LA or Bay Area, you will get a free consultation with bere and a limpia or massage.

For those that donate $250-400 and you are in the LA or Bay Area, bere will facilitate an herbal workshop and do a medicine making demo with you and a group of 10-27 other people.

Thank you for reading and investing in work que vale la pena.

in solidarity and transformation,

~ Berenice Dimas

www.berenicedimas.com

Sources

http://www.calendow.org/uploadedFiles/Health_Happends_Here/Communities/Our_Places/BHC%20Fact_Sheet_E%20Oakland.pdf

http://www.youthuprising.org/issues-responses/health/

http://www.ofcy.org/assets/Uploads/Strategic-Plan/OFCY-Youth-Indicator-Report.03162012.pdf