Give Students Space for Healing & Time for Joy

I want to thank you for generously supporting Morningside’s work. You have helped to bring a sense of belonging and a spirit of joy into classrooms and schools, and we are so grateful!  

I’m writing to you now with a very specific request on behalf of the NYC students with whom we work. Young people are currently experiencing extreme levels of stress, sadness, apprehension, fear, and disconnection, and it is disrupting learning in a major way. 

We have seen how, in the supportive environments we create in schools, young people can connect, support one another, and access resources they need to recover from these traumas.

This winter and spring, we will be working directly with 100 NYC high school and middle school students. Over five full days, high school students will gather in circle, a space where the focus is on calming, listening, deep sharing, imagining, and healing, both personal and collective – a radical break from the usual stressful routine at school. Students will experience practices and learn skills that will strengthen their capacity to foster community and be leaders in the quest for justice. Then, over five days, we will coach these students as they bring the circle experience to their younger peers. 

To make all this happen, we need your support! Our goal is to raise a total of $25,000. To meet our goal, we need:

• 10 donors to give $1000
• 20 donors to give $500
• 50 donors to give $100

Can we count on you?  We are grateful for any gift you can make to support this project. No matter the size of your donation, you will be helping to bring comfort and joy to a young person who needs it. 

With much gratitude and warm wishes for the new year,

Cassie Schwerner, Executive Director

P.S. Please see this list of accomplishments you have made possible this year.