At Joshua Station this year, resident adults are focusing on “soft skills” important for their pathways out of the trauma of homelessness. Not to be outdone, our youth lead the way with their skill-building enthusiasm.
They model and practice these skills with help from an imaginary world they know very well… Pokémon! “It’s a concept they love and resonate with,” says Joshua Station Advocate Grace Dean. “For instance, I’ll show a video clip exemplifying compassion—going above and beyond for someone else. Others might be boundaries or respect. Whereas our adults can engage with a list of skills and definitions, our kids need something concrete and fun.”
In the process, Grace builds her own encyclopedic skills with Pokémon video clips. More importantly, she pays close attention to each child’s giftedness and contributions to the Joshua Station community. She then creates a unique Pokémon game character based on that young person and gives it to the child as a collection card.
Grace and her teammates Maddie Parker and Maxine Wetzel aren’t the only ones offering affirmation to our young ones. Through youth-initiated, peer-to-peer “Peacemaker Awards,” they cheer each other on. “Our kids are really sweet and intentional about keeping their eye out for their friends who are showing positive soft skills,” Grace observes.
“When someone helps a kid who gets knocked down, or someone jumps in to clean up a game we’ve played, invariably there will be a race to our Peacemaker Table to make a nomination.” They chose from ten framed prompts, such as “You are Enough.” “You are at Peace.” They fill out certificates and place them in the basket. Presentations are made at the end of each session.
Daily at Joshua Station, our youth and their advocates embody the encouragement of scripture: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24, NLT)
Help us raise $150,000 for our Joshua Station families by April 9!
Please also join us and invite friends to our
Spring Into Caring Celebration Event
When: Thursday April 9, 5:15-7:00pm
Where: Mile High Ministries, 913 North Wyandot Street, Denver
What: Come and enjoy hearty appetizers, beverages, a relaxed time, and exciting program updates by staff in our Wyandot Building (located next to Joshua Station). Then we’ll go next door to Joshua Station for dessert with our wonderful residents.
RSVP by Sunday April 5:
For more information about our April 9 gathering, please call Shana at 720-756-7214.
