Self-Care or Caring for? Continued: Positioning Self-Care in Youth Activism

Community trauma is a type of trauma that can stem from historical influences, structures, stratification and violence, but extends to affect social groups and therefore, social movements. This project builds upon previous research efforts in order to provide a more specialized look at the impacts of community trauma upon social justice workers and the possibly restorative practice of self-care. Now, assessing the implementation of informed self-care suggestions in youth activist spaces. Six months of work with the Girls Inc. Denver Metro Teen Leadership Board provided space to put research results into practice. Through recognizing and analyzing themes of injustice and insurrection, attempts at building community resilience are explored as they intersect with the group’s focus and global pandemic conditions. Self-care is considered a possible preservative practice that can improve and maintain mental and physical health in the face of interaction and distress. All begging the questions, is self-care an act of self-indulgence or a powerful method of safeguarding? And now, how do these same conclusions translate amongst youth audiences? Upon implementing self-care practices into youth justice work, t here is a general trend towards feelings of mental and physical well-being that can act as a powerful tool on the path to social change.