By Tre Gabriel, Flawless Fellow
With Valentine’s Day approaching, our team took a visit to New York City to spread some Flawless love. Along with our Founder Janine, I spent the day with students at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in Harlem and we were joined by our colleague Bernadette Pleasant, the founder of Femme!
With the help of two amazing 3rd-grade helpers, we led our Flawless workshop with all of the 5th-grade students and taught them not only how to see the perfection in others but to also see the perfection in themselves. Students also learned emotional intelligence skills, the importance of kindness, and how to both give and receive compliments from others. Compliments began to fly around the room: “you’re funny, you’re kind, she’s supportive, he is self-aware.” Children were able to break away from their daily routine and simply appreciate each other and learn how to appreciate themselves.
While we came into the day with intentions of spreading love, we were not prepared for all of the love we would receive. The students entered the room with such vibrant energy and unique personalities. At the end each small workshop group, the students always asked us when the Flawless team was going to come back! Some even made sure we understood that by being 5th graders, their graduation was on the horizon… so time was ticking for us to return! This is in addition to the kind compliments they had for us; we’ve always known Janine to be kind, but now we can confirm that she is also a pretty good helper!
We absolutely loved that the children were so engaged in the activity. We were lucky to have Bernadette, who is a movement specialist, present to guide the students through a soothing meditation exercise at the end. The students were able to recollect themselves and take on the rest of the school day with a Flawless mindset and to the joy of all, plus some stylish #Flawless tattoos.
After a busy morning of workshops, Janine and I sat down for an extended lunch to just appreciate and reflect on the genuineness of these children. We came to inspire them but left equally impacted. Already satisfied with an amazing day I boarded a train headed downtown and prepared to get lost in the music blaring in my headphones. That’s when my day got even better when I was approached with an illuminating smile and an emphatic wave – one of the students was sitting across from me on the train. In conversation she told me how much the students loved having us today and couldn’t wait for us to come back.
There’s not much better than knowing you impacted a child’s life, even in the slightest of ways. So let the 5th-grade students of Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in Harlem be your motivation to tell someone that they are Flawless this Valentine’s Day weekend and a reminder to you that You Are Flawless every day!
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