Maija Kellner-Rode and Becki Macy are offering a collaborative 12-month mentor program bringing together female identified/femme teens, ages 14-17, using mindfulness, art, movement, group processing, ritual and nature-based practices as tools to support social, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. Using an anti-racist lens, our hope is to create a fierce sisterhood that empowers, encourages and challenges each individual to re-member their power and intuitive abilities through deeper connection with themselves, with others, and the world around them.
The collective will consist of 6-8 teens and offer a combination of peer and mentoring support: a fun and nourishing 2 hour weekly group session facilitated by Maija and Becki and individual mentoring sessions with Becki (your choice of 1-4 times a month). Group sessions will either take place outdoors at Mt. Tabor or indoors at Owl & Bee Clay Studio in NE Portland. Group sessions will meet Thursday afternoons (time TBD).
To support safety of the group with COVID, we will follow CDC and state guidelines of social distancing and wearing masks when appropriate. Owl & Bee Clay Studio is a space designed to host creative groups for youth and is set-up for COVID safety. We will continuously check in with what the group needs and will adjust the meeting space accordingly. During these times of more isolation and not having in person school, our hope to meet in person as long as we all feel safe. If we have to move to an online format, we will.
The best space to meet for individual sessions will be determined on an individual basis (outdoors, online, etc.)
We will connect with the seasons in 3 month increments to complete a 1 year program.
Each season we will be exploring one’s self through the lens of different relational identities:
Autumn: Fall in Love with Yourself - Personal Power & Embodiment
* October/November (TBD) - December 17th **
Winter: Winter with Others - Relational Understanding
January 7th - March 25th
Spring: Spring towards Your Community - Social & Community Awareness & Engagement
April 1st - June 24th
Summer: Summer with the Earth - Earth & Global Community Awareness & Engagement
July 1st - September 23rd
* Due to the current fires and the starting of online school, we are leaving the start date open to when we have a full group of 6-8 participants. We understand that a lot is happening right now and want to be flexible with scheduling.
* *We will not have scheduled meetings during the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, etc.) We may schedule a different day of the week to host a group meeting if that’s what the group desires.
We believe teens hold their own unique wisdom and creativity that deserves to be uplifted. As facilitators, our intention is to provide a space where we listen and encourage personal and group agency along with growth through vulnerability. Together we will learn to navigate the range of emotional experience while caring for ourselves and each other. Group name, logo, and themes will be determined by the group.
Themes we are prepared to explore:
cultivating joy
body love
relational boundaries
sexuality and gender
creative self-expression
racial identity and privilege
inclusive spirituality
social and environmental justice
Each theme we explore will have an activism component. We believe community activism is vital to social and environmental change. As a group, we will choose how we want to engage within our community, harnessing our collective power to create the changes we wish to see.
To get a better understanding of what it may be like, here is a guideline of a typical group session:
Begin with a grounding/orienting practice
Open check in
Group activity (for example- art journaling, mindful movement, nature-based activity, etc.)
Group conversation
Closing circle
To join our collective, there is a 3 month commitment. However, to receive the full benefits of this program, we encourage a year commitment.
Group and individual sessions are offered with sliding-scale pricing. The sliding scale is a tool for economic justice which allows people who have varying and limited financial capacity to access our program, and also allows those with greater financial capacity to support those with more need.
Investment:
Tier 1 $100/mo (4 group sessions- $25/session)
Tier 2 $200/mo (4 group sessions- $50/session)
Tier 3 $300/mo (4 group sessions- $75/session)
The middle tier is the true cost. The lower tier offers access to those who are less financially secure. The higher tier offers an opportunity for those with greater financial capacity to support others in accessing this work. Please choose the tier that you can most comfortably meet. If you choose a lower tier than you actually need, please keep in mind you are taking away an opportunity from someone else and reducing the positive benefit of this community offering. Group session payment will be due by the first meeting of the month.
*Number of individual sessions and amount paid per month for those will be determined on an individual basis to meet your needs.
As two white, cis-gender identifying women, we hope to create space that is empowering and welcoming to all, and recognize we have blind spots because of our social privileges. We are here to learn and grow together as a community, and as facilitators take full responsibility for continuing to learn how to create a nourishing space for all, centering the voices of those less typically centered by our current culture and society. We welcome any feedback on how we may better fit the needs of all group members. We will be scheduling consultations with those interested in joining to determine if we are a good fit and to answer any questions.
If joining our group doesn’t seem like the right fit, please check out these other organizations who are also doing incredible work within our community.
the application is generated through Becki’s website
Meet the Mentors
Hi, I’m Maija (pronounced Maya)
I am an artist and mentor based in Portland, Oregon. Throughout my life, I have found that expressive arts, movement, tending to my spiritual practice & outward processing have been crucial in my own personal development. I fiercely believe creativity has the power to awaken, empower, heal, and transform and that creative expression is a crucial part of holistic well-being. I believe art builds bridges between people, ideas, and cultures and that cultivating space for people to be seen and heard is vital to understanding oneself and the world around us.
We are living in an unprecedented time. Life can feel complicated, overwhelming and messy at times which is why I feel called to co-create these groups to allow space for people to unpack what is going on around them. I think the more we can support one another & find ways to foster joy, the better we will be for our future selves, our communities & the Earth.
I am honored that you’re here and look forward to nurturing our sisterhood together.
EDUCATION + EXPERIENCE
I graduated from Western Oregon University in 2013 with a BA in Sociology & minor in Art. I have mentored teens over the past 9 years within the Salem School District, Grande Ronde Reservation, P:ear, and was an art therapy intern at 100th Monkey Studio in 2020. Under Maija Rebecca Hand Drawn, I have also taught countless adult art workshops centering creative empowerment. My facilitation is heavily influenced by the Life Art Process created by Anna Halprin of the Tamalpa Institute
Hi, I’m Becki
I grew up on the Northern California coast, connecting deeply with the wild ocean and redwood trees as a child, and infuse my love of nature into everything I do, whether it’s work or play. I’ve lived in Portland for over a decade and enjoy bringing the people I work with into the beautiful and powerful outdoors to deepen their experience of themselves and the world.
In these chaotic and potentially transformative times, I’m thinking of how confusing it must be to be a young person right now and it feels important and exciting to offer a combination of peer and mentoring support to help create a community that can hold you. I want to hear what wisdom you have and offer what I’ve found helpful to navigate the ups and downs of what it means to be a human right now.
I am so exited to experience what magic we will create together.
EDUCATION + EXPERIENCE
As a mentor and facilitator, I blend my own life experience of healing and growth with my formal training as a psychotherapist (Masters in Counseling Psychology, Lewis & Clark College) and yoga/mindfulness instructor (200-hr It’s Yoga Nica/Living Yoga Trauma-Informed Training) to create a nourishing and compassionate space for you to feel more alive and loved. I’ve worked with youth in a variety of capacities - teaching assistant, yoga/mindfulness instructor, therapist, and mentor - and believe in the importance of meeting you where you are at and focusing on what you are inspired by, honoring your unique sense of yourself. I am no expert; I am always a student learning how to be more nurturing and connected with myself and others. My intention is to bring this curiosity into my work with you.