Throughout the Spring and Summer of 2024, the Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) implemented its new Collective Care Initiative with installments of Nourish and Restore sessions. These sessions supported our staff’s mental, social, and physical well-being through meditation, communication, yoga, and more classes. Each session aimed to provide an opportunity to cultivate community and connection with our coworkers– and smoothies! The funding of this initiative was graciously provided to us by the NYU Work Life’s Caring Culture grant.
The Nourish and Restore series also fortified IHDSC’s connection to the wider New York community through a series of donation drives and free stores. We kicked off Nourish and Restore in early February by hosting the first installment of our ongoing donation drive to support our new migrant neighbors with weather-appropriate clothes, necessary accessories, shoes, and hygiene kits. Over the Spring 2024 semester, we used Nourish and Restore sessions to collectively sort and prepare over 200 care packages for distribution through partnerships with Loisada’s EarthChxrch and East Village Neighbors Who Care.
The second Nourish and Restore session held the first of our Meditation 101 workshops, which were led by Health, Life, Transformational Coach and Yoga Therapist, Mary Aranas. Here, the IHDSC staff learned about basic meditation techniques, the science behind meditation-related benefits, and tips for integrating it into our daily routines.
Healthy eating practices can be difficult (and expensive!) to keep up with when working in an office setting. Our second session, “Food for Thought: Nourishing Ourselves and Our Communities,” set out to mitigate this common challenge. Led by Nutrition and Food Studies expert, Dr. Angela Trude, our staff participated in a workshop on NYC food environments, healthy food access, nutrition, and meal prep strategies. We closed out the session by making and enjoying food together using the newly learned strategies; nourishing ourselves, and our IHDSC community!
Mary Aranas returned to lead our fourth Nourish and Restore session on Fresh Foods for Focus and Energy. Through examinations of our food and eating habits and tips and tricks for body and mind energization through food, this workshop aimed to realize the IHDSC staff of our potential to be our own food experts.
The following installment was led by Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Alexandria Desire and Clinical Intern, Alexandra DeSimone. The two facilitated “Can We Talk?: Ways to Improve Connection in the Workplace Through Effective Communication.” Empirical findings show that ineffective professional communication increases stress in the workplace and interpersonal conflict among coworkers. Aiming to keep our workplace a healthy and happy environment, our staff and guests enjoyed smoothies while Alexandria and Alexandra while teaching us and exercising the do’s, don'ts, and how-to’s of workplace communication.
Our next session was done in collaboration with the NYU Sanctuary and Asylum Initiative. Here, we learned about mutual aid in New York, the landscape of policies that immigrants face, and ways to get involved in East Village distribution efforts. We were also able to hear the stories and perspectives of two of our migrant neighbors– deepening our understanding of new New Yorkers’ experiences. Following our discussion, the IHDSC staff gathered to sort and prepare donated clothes and accessories for an upcoming free store distribution, coordinated in partnership with East Village Neighbors Who Care.
Mary Aranas returned to lead our final Nourish and Restore session in which we learned about and practiced Yoga Nidra. This type of yoga specifically aims to promote deep relaxation, stress management, and personal resolutions. Following our session, and our Nourish and Restore tradition, we enjoyed smoothies and our workplace community.
The Nourish and Restore Initiative left a lasting impact on our team and the broader IHDSC Community. From learning about self-care and workplace wellness through nutrition and yoga, to building our communication skills and team connections, each session has enriched both our personal and professional lives. Most importantly, our efforts to engage with and give back to the community that NYU is embedded in have deepened our connections and provided our team with ways of integrating mutual aid into our personal lives. Going forward, the insights and relationships we’ve gained will continue to shape and strengthen our self-care and wellness practices, communication methods, and community connections, reinforcing the core values of the Caring Culture Initiative.
We at IHDSC intend to continue this work throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Stay up to date on the latest IHDSC events and activities by signing up for our mailing list. If you would like to get involved in the planning or coordination of our mutual aid work, please email us at IHDSC.research@nyu.edu.
