Register today for Spring 2025 cohort!

High school students in Sonoma Valley are eligible.

The sessions are held at Hanna Center in Sonoma.

We require all participants to attend the first two sessions, where group agreements are made.

There is also a requirement to attend at least 6 of the eight sessions.

The program is free and a $58 per session stipend will be provided to each participating student ($464 in total, if all sessions are attended).

Results from a 2023 analysis of surveys between the beginning (pre) and the end (post) of the program showed that on average, participants significantly improved on four outcomes that were measured:

• Participants reported that their mental health symptoms were reduced by feeling less left out or depressed, or feeling more companionship.
• Participants mentioned the benefits of having stronger connections to peers they had already known or meeting new people in the group.
• They also reported improved knowledge on resources about mental health and substance use. In particular, they liked learning new topics that were usually not talked about in school.
• Further, better coping skills were observed when dealing with the stress that occurred in their physical and home environments. Some said they were able to overcome their social anxiety to speak up and the program helped their communication skills.

Results indicate that participants’ resilience levels improved significantly with better recovery from a stressful event. Please contact On The Margins if you would like to have more access to a summary of our evaluation results: [email protected]

It is a framework that identifies how we respond to the generational trauma that embeds in our bodies, hearts, minds, and communities. Healing Justice can be accessed through writing, oral accounts, art, and other approaches that can serve as anti-oppressive tools that facilitate critical consciousness.

Healing Justice informs and inspires this program!

Please scroll down this page for a list of session dates and times. We require that participants attend the first two sessions and try to miss a maximum of two sessions throughout the cohort.