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CHECK OUT OUR 2025–26 SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAMMING

Centering Black Voices

The truth is we are all equal… The reality is we are not. ~Dr. Leticia Nieto

Sweet community,

In the history of Soul Shoppe, our Black and African-American staff have experienced racism – from being questioned about their purpose on campus from both staff and parents, to racist remarks from teachers, to the dismissal of comments and feedback.

When forming a response to the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, here’s what our staff have to say.

What do we want our young people to learn during this time?

A seed can only produce that from which it comes. What seeds are we planting into the minds and hearts of our young people? We have to be sure the fertile hearts and minds of our children are sown with love, peace and respect for all humans, if we ever hope to produce a world that bears the same. Soul Shoppe teaches kids to Stop & Breathe in the face of fiery feelings, but we also know things happen in our communities that make it much harder for People of Color to breathe than others. This systemic oppression has a direct impact on the students we serve.   We are an organization that facilitates essential tools of the heart, such as mindfulness, empathy, restoration, and “anti-bullying”. In October, we shared the definition of bullying:  Bullying involves a power differential, has occurred consistently at least three times, and is intentionally meant to hurt or harm at least one of the individuals or communities involved. What happened to George Floyd and continues to happen to the Black community is beyond bullying, it is a revolting and repulsive display of hostility and disregard for human life and goes against everything our organization believes in and teaches. 

In the Stop & Breathe tool, we take the moment to 

  • exercise our power to STOP and

  • allow one another the rights to BREATHE as a living human being

  • to THINK as an individual then

  • CHOOSE to unite on one peaceful accord  

  • to ACT in the best interest of the entire human race.

We invite you to embrace any or all parts of our Stop & Breathe tool throughout the coming weeks to enhance your choices and actions. 

We stand with our African AMERICAN citizens in defeating the ongoing oppression, unfair treatment, and social injustice to bring love, compassion, understanding and dignity to all. 

With deep care,

The Soul Shoppe Staff

 
Resources lists we recommend: Center for Racial Justice: Resources for talking about Race, Racism, and Racialized violence with Kids Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup

Thank You 2020 PeaceMaker Students!

Dear Wonderful Peacemakers,

Hello!! Missing you all!! Thinking of you, and hoping you and your loved ones are all well and safe at home.

 

• Normally at this time of year, you would be having your End-of-Year Peacemaker Party with your Principal and Peacemaker Liaisons. Since that is not possible this time, we Peacemaker Trainers have a little something for you, by video instead.  Whether you had Dara, Arek or Jill as your Peacemaker Trainer this year, all three of our vidoes are for ALL of you, below…and your entire family, too! 🙂

 

• Also, for those of you who don’t know about this fun thing happening…we invite you and your whole family to join the awesome weekly games and contests that are going on at SOUL SHOPPE LIVE. Join HERE. We hope you love!
Join Soul Shoppe Live

Arek shares stories and useful home practices for CHECKING IN WITH FAMILY, to help everyone get along wonderfully well. 

Jill and some adorable friends share the benefits of DROPPING YOUR STORY, to help people (and puppets!) get back to peace and fun at home.


Before you watch the next video, grab some paper and things to draw and color with! Dara shows how to make your very own PEACEMAKER CELEBRATION CERTIFICATE, plus how to set up a Peacemaking Station or Peace Corner for the whole family to use and enjoy.

Whatever grade you are in, whatever peacemaking you have done, and whatever peace you continue to bring into the world, we are so proud of each and every one of you.  You have worked so hard, with so much courage, dedication and love. You make this world a more beautiful, happy and peace-filled place for everyone.

 

Thank you, Peacemakers!!!!!

 

😄💟🕊 Dara, Arek, Jill and the entire team at Soul Shoppe

2020 PeaceMaker Thank You!

Dear Amazing Principals and Peacemaker Liaisons,

Hello from home! Thinking of you all, and hoping you and yours are doing well. Missing you so much, and so grateful to you for making this such an important and special Peacemaker Year for everyone. Now that the world is sheltering in place, Peacemakers are needed more than ever, right in their own families and communities. Thank you for all you have done to make that possible throughout the year at school, and for everyone at home now, as well. 

In celebration of you all, all of us Peacemaker Trainers at Soul Shoppe (myself, Arek Bryant and Jill Brittner), have created this thank you email below, complete with end-of-year celebration videos from each of us, to acknowledge the incredible work your Peacemakers have done. Even though it is not possible to have year-end celebrations with Party in A Box at your schools, we hope these videos are fun, engaging and useful for your entire amazing Peacemaker crew!
A couple things to note:
• We designed our videos to shower them with gratitude, and empower them with tools for Peacemaking at home with their families…and we hope you enjoy them too!
• We have also included a link for them to join the weekly activity, games and contest emails with SOUL SHOPPE LIVE. If you and your own families are not  yet on the list, you can join HERE. We hope you love!
Join Soul Shoppe Live
So looking forward to hearing from you. And, hoping your end of year is wrapping up beautifully, despite these most unusual and challenging times.
From all of us at Soul Shoppe…we love and appreciate you so much.

You are AMAZING!!!!

😄💟🕊 Dara, Arek, Jill and the entire team at Soul Shoppe

Dear Wonderful Peacemakers,

Hello!! Missing you all!! Thinking of you, and hoping you and your loved ones are all well and safe at home.

• Normally at this time of year, you would be having your End-of-Year Peacemaker Party with your Principal and Peacemaker Liaisons. Since that is not possible this time, we Peacemaker Trainers have a little something for you, by video instead.  Whether you had Dara, Arek or Jill as your Peacemaker Trainer this year, all three of our vidoes are for ALL of you, below…and your entire family, too! 🙂

• Also, for those of you who don’t know about this fun thing happening…we invite you and your whole family to join the awesome weekly games and contests that are going on at SOUL SHOPPE LIVE. Join HERE. We hope you love!
Join Soul Shoppe Live

Arek shares stories and useful home practices for CHECKING IN WITH FAMILY, to help everyone get along wonderfully well. 

Jill and some adorable friends share the benefits of DROPPING YOUR STORY, to help people (and puppets!) get back to peace and fun at home.


Before you watch the next video, grab some paper and things to draw and color with! Dara shows how to make your very own PEACEMAKER CELEBRATION CERTIFICATE, plus how to set up a Peacemaking Station or Peace Corner for the whole family to use and enjoy.

Whatever grade you are in, whatever peacemaking you have done, and whatever peace you continue to bring into the world, we are so proud of each and every one of you.  You have worked so hard, with so much courage, dedication and love. You make this world a more beautiful, happy and peace-filled place for everyone.

Thank you, Peacemakers!!!!!

😄💟🕊 Dara, Arek, Jill and the entire team at Soul Shoppe

Peacemaker Spotlight

Peacemaker Spotlight

This month, we’re celebrating Kirstin
Lenane, Counselor and Peacemaker
Liaison at Westlake Elementary.

Creating Bully-Free Classrooms

Creating Bully-Free Classrooms

Many schools already have some excellent anti-bullying and community-building practices, but these can be overly compartmentalized, occurring only at specific times of day. Emotions are happening all the time!

Here are some things educators can do to fill the gaps:

  • Create multiple opportunities for class meetings or class moments where everyone has a voice and everyone gets to be seen.
  • Create school structures so that adults at our schools are easily available for young people, where they have the time and the emotional space to give young people their full attention and empathy.
  • Create time for teachers and adults at school to reflect, to notice if kids are being excluded and to work to create inclusion throughout the day.
  • Build the critical skills of empathy and community within our kids.
  • Model empathy and self-management skills. Kids learn from the example of the adults around them.

You May Also Like:

Virtual Social Learning Activities

Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom

Child Emotional Development

Culture of Inclusion