On Feb. 28, Terra Linda High School’s (TL) wellness department will organize the second annual “One WISH (Wellness, Identity, Self-reflection, Hope) to Unite ” program which provides valuable time for students to share and connect, specifically black youth. This wellness retreat is open to all high school students across Marin and involves the collaboration of TL’s black student union and San Rafael City Schools wellness center.
Nicole Janson, TL’s wellness coordinator, explains how fundamental this wellness retreat is to struggling youth.
“[The goal of the event] is to come together, connect and see other students and community leaders that look like you,” Janson said.
Last year was the debut of this retreat, making it new and exciting; Janson emphasizes that it is important to dial into the speaker part of the day and to have the students walk away from the experience feeling like they made connections and learned something.
“We want people to come in, meet and greet each other and then get comfortable and come away feeling as if they have accomplished something and know there is a space for them in the community,” Janson said.
Janson describes how some of TL’s black female-identifying students often felt there wasn’t a space for them on campus.
“Through discussion, it became evident that there wasn’t a space for black youth of any gender to feel they belonged. ‘One WISH to Unite’ aims to bring attention to the relatively small black youth community in Marin’s schools,” Janson said.
Last year, students from schools countywide participated, leaving Janson pleasantly surprised.
“[The ‘One WISH to Unite’] is a great event, and I feel the students [who participated] last year got a lot out of it,” Janson said.
In today’s society, there is still a lot of segregation, hatred and blame between bystanders and people at fault. Within Marin’s high schools, racism is still alive and is reported often.
“As a mental health therapist, I’m always looking for ways to bring people together in bonding and understanding,” said Janson.
A’Niyah Ford, a senior at TL, is the co-president of the black student union. Ford explains the benefits of the event for
all students, including those who aren’t black youth. The event strives to allow students to become more in touch and aware of their culture and mental health. When Ford moved from Vallejo to Marin, she struggled with the lack of resources for the black community.
“I believe that, especially in Marin County, there’s not a lot of black students and that could be very shocking for [people from other areas]. I was very shocked and didn’t know how to navigate that, and that messed with my mental health a little bit,” Ford said.
Ford joined the black student union to become more involved in helping others’ mental health and has seen that people have become more in touch with their culture.
“You care to learn about different cultures, especially during Black History Month,” Ford said.
This retreat will be on Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at TL and is open to all youth seeking support.
