Children's Programs & Games
In real time, we watched our students not only grow in their ability to self-regulate, but also in their ability to support each other through difficult emotions.
At Stillmeadow Community Projects, Inc., we host elementary and middle school students through our summer camp and afterschool program. During these programs, we have witnessed students exhibit signs of anxiety, frustration, short attention spans, lack of confidence, and stress from home or school life. Upon hearing about our youth programs, Dianne Fanti reached out to us about offering her skill-building activities designed to teach children self-regulation skills through engaging activities. This is an example of perfect timing and perfect fit!
We have been partnering with Dianne for a year. She has created and led fun, impactful games and activities that naturally guide students into practicing coping mechanisms for relieving stress, harnessing focus, building self-esteem, and providing healthy outlets for energy and emotions. In real time, we watched our students not only grow in their ability to self-regulate, but also in their ability to support each other through difficult emotions. Dianne also did a great job of leading our young adult interns in the facilitation of the activities/lessons. The activities were as helpful to our interns as they were to our students. We truly cherish our partnership with Dianne, for it has proven to be an asset beyond our organization. Her impact reaches our students, our interns, their families, and our community.
~ Yorell Tuck, Director of Operations, Stillmeadow Community Projects, Inc.
“Ms. Dianne,” as the students here at Stillmeadow Peace Park Learning Center call her, has been an absolute joy to work with. She has been an integral part of working with our students to build self-esteem, relieve stress, learn coping skills, and so much more. Her creative games and positive energy (along with an unforgettable and endearing laugh) helped our students on so many levels.
Ms. Dianne always showed up with a smile and an eagerness to engage with our children. When they knew she was coming, they were always excited and couldn’t wait to see what new things she would bring in her “bag of goodies,” as they called it. Ms. Dianne poured herself into the activities, games, and exercises she planned, and it was so clear that she cared deeply about the mental well-being of our kids.
We joked that Ms. Dianne was secretly a hypnotist because she was able to get our energetic bunch to be calm, helping them stay centered and focused through various activities. The students at our Learning Center also learned coping strategies for releasing tension and stress, and they learned to respect others and themselves so much more! It was always an uplifting day if Ms. Dianne was there. We knew we’d be complimenting one another on our strengths and getting compliments too, and how could we possibly walk away from that feeling bad about ourselves?
We are so grateful for our time with such a special, one-of-a-kind person. Her passion for instilling lifelong skills in children of all ages is truly refreshing. We hope to continue working with her for years to come!
~ Helena Hewitt, B.S., Stillmeadow Peace Park Learning Center
I really like this game and it have been using it with my grandson Mickel... He loves feeling like he can earn the things he wants rather than waiting on the adults to simply give him things. He really loves being helpful, and you can see it boosts his self-esteem when he helps others out. I love seeing him thinking of others and thinking about the consequences of his choices, actually thinking things through, knowing that he's building his critical thinking skills for the future. And I love that there are extra tools to help when anyone gets stuck, like the ones that help build understanding and strengthen communication. I'm looking forward to seeing about bringing this game with me to his school where I start teaching next month. I want to see if there's a way we can include it there as I'm one of the Community Ambassadors now!
How Skill Builders Society Came About
I know what it's like to grow up in a culture and community where certain important basic life skills are missing—and I know the damage that causes. That’s why I started the Skill Builders Society ~ to change that. The more skillful means you have, the less suffering you are likely to have.
A Success Story ~ When I first met my community nephew, he was 7 years old and living on the street where I lived and worked in SW Baltimore.
He had so much extra energy that it seemed like it just spilled over abundantly. I met him one day while I was outside and we soon became fast friends, and I also became a protective factor, on a street that had no shortage of challenges and pitfalls for young people.
Most days after school and often on the weekend, he would stop by my house, looking for snacks, games and activities, and to have some time to chat. Having been a latch key kid myself, I understood the importance of having protective factors and people who care about you nearby.
In fact, did you know that Oprah Winfrey credits how well she's done in life to the fact that she had teachers that she connected with and that looked out for her? And that Maya Angelou cites a neighbor as fueling her interest in poetry? For so many young people, community ties are also instrumental.
As I came to know him, I would watch for how he was uniquely aimed and what his interests were, and I encouraged him along those lines, whether it was sports or other goals like wanting to succeed in life ~ we would explore what that meant and looked like to him. I watched him become a remarkable young man, trying many different sports and activities and finding his way.
From starting out at a not-very-academically-challenging public school, he was able to get into a prestigious private high school. And when a challenge arose, we helped him find solutions.
Now he's college bound (with scholarships to the school he wanted!), and most importantly, equipped with essential life skills ~ from critical thinking, to decision-making, creative problem-solving and more ~ he's confident in himself and his ability ~ and that's a gift and a blessing to have at such a young age!
And the other blessing is that over time, we became like family and have helped each other out in so many ways ~ he's volunteered to help with our community project and to record demo videos for me. And I too am grateful to have met him.
~ Dianne A. Fanti, M.S., Creator of our HEALS Education, LLC programs
RESET for Wellness Training
"Research suggests that high performers reset themselves more
consistently and frequently than others." ~ Brendan Burchard
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