We Are the Medicine Convening

In August, RYSE and Pacific Southwest MHTTC co-hosted “We Are the Medicine: Culturally Sustaining & Healing Practices for Youth & Young Adult Service Providers.”

Over 60 health care providers across the country, state, and Bay Area convened on-campus at RYSE to share healing practices that draw upon indigenous, holistic, and somatic techniques.

Attendees of “We Are The Medicine” work with young people (ages 13-27) to support their mental health as they transition into adulthood. At the convening, the group shared how to incorporate healing spaces and practices into their work, to benefit both young people and the practitioners that facilitate the process of healing. 

Together, the group explored their own provider healing, capacity building, and experiential approaches to centering our individual, collective, and systemic wellness. Workshops included ancestral teachings, sound baths, acupressure, and even drumming for healing!

Healing spaces nourish better outcomes for young people’s well-being and quality of life. It also strengthens provider wellness and organizational culture.

“I really liked the intentionality of the event, of taking care of the community that takes care of community, [and] to invite moments of stillness and play.”

-We Are the Medicine Attendee Survey Response


Learn more about Freedom Community Clinic as a resource and partner in collective care and healing for young people and adults. Subscribe to our newsletter to get involved and learn more about RYSE!