PEORIA (25News Now) - The Junior League of Peoria and Heart of Illinois United Way are teaming up for Healthy Minds, and Healthy Neighborhoods.
Wednesday was the first of three sessions to teach social-emotional skills to parents and caregivers. This is the relaunch of a program that had to be paused due to the pandemic.
Caregivers learned skills like self-regulation and building relationships.
Organizers tell said community surveys show mental health needs have increased a lot in recent years. While there are resources in the area, they also want to stop problems before they start.
“We still need help for the community at that minor level before it reaches that point,” Sandy Garza, the president of the Junior League of Peoria said.
“We found that parents want to help their children succeed, but they don’t always have all the latest tools and the newest research and all the things that we know now,” Garza continued.
The classes consist of a lecture and then training exercises. Caregivers learned techniques like waiting 90 seconds before acting on a strong emotion. Another tip was to ask themselves if a decision they are making is safe and would be approved of by others.
While parents are in classes, volunteers provide dinner and entertainment for the kids.
“Here at the Peoria Playhouse, we’re able to engage them in activities with our membership in a safe place where parents can then focus in on the material we’re learning,” said Julia Downs, a director at large at Junior League.
The other sessions are on March 19 and April 2. Classes are free, but people need to register in advance. Interested people can register online.
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