We recently started the Calm & Caring Club, a workshop series for youth focused on building emotional awareness, facilitated by Tyra Johnson of The Women's Solo Project. In each session, youth build the vocabulary to name the full range of what they feel, moving beyond just "mad" or "fine."

In a recent session, they were asked not to talk about their feelings, but to draw them. Hakim* created "Cool Guy," a bunny that captured exactly how he was feeling that day. Jalen* drew a self-portrait capturing his own happiness. These aren't just crafts. They're tools that help young people navigate conflict, ask for what they need, and support one another in healthier ways.

But the work doesn't stop when they go home.

That's where Raising Peaceful Families comes in. Also facilitated by Tyra, this caregiver workshop invites the adults in young people's lives to do their own inner work: exploring self-regulation, self-care, and how to pause before reacting to the everyday challenges of raising a family. Because the emotional skills young people are building are reinforced—or undermined—by what they experience at home. When both are growing together, the whole environment shifts.

Our Friends play a role in bridging that gap, showing up every week and carrying the conversations from both workshops into daily life.

This is what our two-generation approach looks like in practice. Research shows that when a child does better, a parent does better and vice versa. In a 2025 survey, 100% of caregivers said they feel supported by Friends of the Children–Philadelphia as a parent or caregiver, and 93% said their child's Friend connected them to community or school resources they didn't previously know about.**

None of this happens without a community of people who believe in this work. Thanks to your support, young people and families in Philadelphia have the space to grow, heal, and thrive together. If you'd like to help us reach more families, your gift makes all the difference.

*Youth names changed to protect privacy.

**Survey percentages reflect ratings of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1–5.