Director of Trauma-Informed Practice Essence Vinson is back on the ClubX Blog to share some words of encouragement plus practical tips for taking care of YOU.
Hey there, Youth Development Champion!
First off, thank you. Whether you’re helping with homework, facilitating programs to build essential skills, or simply being that steady presence in a young person’s life, you’re doing important work. But let’s be real for a second: being a safe, supportive space for young people, one snack-time and mentorship moment at a time, is exhausting.
You’re Wearing All the Hats
Let’s go ahead and say the thing out loud: You’re not just one person, you’re ten people in one.
Mentor, coach, educator, event planner, trusted adult, conflict mediator, snack distributor, bathroom monitor, motivational speaker… need we go on?
If you’ve ever felt like your name tag should read “Swiss Army Human,” we see you.
That’s why the lyric in “Help You Do the Work” by Pierce & Nnenna Freelon hits so hard:
“You wear so many hats we lost count. Why don’t you take a break, put on this crown? We can help you do the work.”
You are doing so much and while your multitasking powers are impressive, they’re not infinite. You deserve rest. You deserve support.
So, let’s talk about something you might put on the back burner: self-care.
Little Joys: Everyday Self-Care Wins
If “self-care” feels like something you need a week off and a yoga retreat to do, pause right there. It can be tiny, daily, and still super effective.
Try one of these:
- Dance it out wherever you are (yes, even badly) – Find a teammate that knows what time it is when you say (or yell) ‘dance break’.
- Have a “No Kid” zone for 5 minute – a staff-only sacred space for quiet, reflection, and regulation.
- Use your PTO – you’ve earned it, and the Club won’t crumble without you (we promise).
- Make a Feel-Good Playlist – start with “Help You Do the Work” by Pierce & Nnenna Freelon and/or “Gratitude” by Londrelle. Deep breaths included.
Outside of these daily wins, some other concrete ways to practice self-care, according to Dr. Pooja Lakshmin in her book Real Self-Care include:
- Setting boundaries with others and releasing the guilt associated with those boundaries;
- Changing how we talk to ourselves and treating ourselves with compassion and kindness;
- Bringing in what matters the most to us, in other words, standing ten toes down on our values as we work toward positive youth outcomes; and
- Reclaiming our power and control over our own lives.
Community Care: A Note to Supervisors
Alright, people leaders, come to the front of the class. If you supervise staff, you’re not just managing tasks, you’re shaping a workplace culture. And that culture sets the tone for whether your team feels like they can take care of themselves.
Let’s make sure they can.
- Model the behavior: If you’re skipping lunch and answering emails at 11 PM, guess what your team thinks they should be doing too?
- Make time for check-ins: Not just “how’s the program going?” but really checking in. Ask how they feel. Be human.
- Protect their time: Normalize breaks, protect planning and training hours, and encourage PTO.
- Celebrate the pause: Did someone take a real break? Step away to regulate before continuing to manage a conflict between youth? Actually step away for lunch? Celebrate that! (And maybe shout them out during team meetings or your daily huddles.)
Remember: Community care is what happens when self-care becomes a shared responsibility. It’s about creating a workplace where folks don’t just survive, but they also thrive.
How We Help You Do the Work
Check out BGCA’s Trauma-Informed People Leadership Toolkit. It’s full of strategies to help your team practice self and community care. This resource is written directly for people leaders, because self-care can seem impossible without the conditions and support available to manage stress, support staff well-being, and foster a culture where talking about mental health is normal, not taboo.
One leadership support tool available in the Trauma-Informed People Leadership Toolkit is a training series called the Trauma-Informed Leadership Curriculum, designed by Trauma Free World and located on Spillet Leadership University (SLU). This course discusses concepts like psychological safety, relational trust, cultural humility, employee voice and choice, and personal wellness. The curriculum includes a companion guide with self-reflection questions and prompts for group discussions for each of the three modules, helping teams create actionable steps without requiring a trauma expert or moderator.
Pro tip: Pair a learning module with a snack break and call it your “Snackademy” time. Because yes, you deserve both.
Support Networks
Need someone who gets it? Because let’s face it, sometimes you just need another Club professional to say, “Yep, I’ve been there.”
Boys & Girls Club staff can consider joining the Trauma-Informed Network, which is a 6-session professional development opportunity designed to build your foundational knowledge on trauma-informed practices. It is also designed for Club professionals to build goals together, share best practices, resources, successes and challenges – because *cue High School Musical* we’re all in this together.
Need a space specifically for behavioral health and mental health professionals, no problem! BGCA also has a Behavioral Health & Mental Health Professionals’ (BHMHP) group that puts the unique and important work of a BHMHP as the central focus. Professionals from across the nation gather monthly to share resources as well as participate in free, quarterly continuing education sessions…got to keep those professional licenses!
Final Pep Talk
Remember: you are not just a resource, you’re a human being. A wildly valuable, probably tired, deeply dedicated one. Taking care of yourself doesn’t just benefit you, it multiplies your impact. A recharged you brings even more magic to the work.
So, breathe. Laugh. Hydrate. Turn on those affirming tracks. Lean into the resources BGCA offers. And when in doubt, repeat after me:
“I’m doing important work, and I deserve support too.”
With gratitude (and a high-five),
Your friends at National Office.
If you are a people manager, how do you take care of your team? What are your favorite self-care practices? Comment below, on the BGCA Youth Development Facebook page, or email ClubXBlog@bgca.org.
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