Cultivating Belonging – and Fairy Gardens

One of the nine core assets we support our youth in cultivating is Belonging. We define belonging as “I understand who I am, have a place where I feel accepted and know that my contributions count.” Our professional mentors, called Friends, work with youth in different ways to build an awareness of who they are and their inherent value. Representation is often an important piece of that work, helping youth to see their identities reflected in role models, books, toys, and art.

Recently, youth across our Friends of the Children national network participated in the Friends Youth Art Project, led by Friends of the Children’s National team. Youth were invited to create art that reflects their identity. Guided by their Friend, some of the youth enrolled in our Friends – Twin Cities program created fairy gardens that included fairy figurines that look like them. The girls’ smiles were as big as their imaginations, giggling as they put together unique fairy gardens and talked about what they would do if they were fairies themselves. It is our hope that the girls will water their plants and watch them grow with care and joy, as we continue to cultivate their understanding that they belong here, accepted and valued as the unique young people that they are.