Leader
Melanie Sandoval
Location
1911 Rhine Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212
About the project
Stress and anxiety are a large part of growing up in poverty. Their influence is detrimental to the health and development of children who don’t receive the support of caring adults. The His Place/Bright Life Peace Room Project draws from research on child development to create a space where children at His Place can constructively navigate the stress, conflict, and difficult emotions that are often a part of their lives.
Resources provided in the Peace Room include:
• A reading station with books that encourage social-emotional learning
• Art supplies to encourage healthy expression of thoughts and feelings
• A sensory station with materials such as kinetic sand, play-doh, and bubble wrap
• Conflict management resources centered on the 4 R’s of: recognition, responsibility, reconciliation and resolution
• Evidence-based strategies for stress reduction and anger management
…and much more!
The Peace Room Project is funded by One North Side, thanks to the Buhl Foundation and the Sprout Fund, and by generous donors like you!
The Steps
Phase 1: Complete renovation of the Peace Room at His Place
Phase 2: Train children and volunteers at His Place to skillfully use the Peace Room for stress reduction and conflict management, as well as social-emotional learning.
Why we‘re doing it
As Sandra Aamodt, PhD, and Sam Wang, PhD, note in Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: “Poverty is stressful due to a combination of economic insecurity (inadequate living conditions, frequent moves), disorganized households and harsh parenting (common side effects of parental stress or addiction), and social subordination (being treated as inferior because of social class and/or race). Heightened fear and anxiety can result from living in high-crime neighborhood, food insecurity, and parental mistreatment (again more common when parents are stressed).” When children are exposed to constant stressors without the support and guidance of caring adults, structural changes occur in their developing brains, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex.