Unique program in Bronx addresses students' emotional needs not always met in class
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The life of a student can be uncomfortable, but in Ms. Ali's classroom, the day starts on a yoga mat.
Listening to relaxing sounds and reciting positive affirmations is exactly what student Skarlet Ciprian needed.
"I said that I was special to myself, a lot of people don't make me feel special," Ciprian said.
It's all part of Fatima Ali's systemic wellness curriculum.
"A lot of students come from different places, they're getting on buses, they're getting on subways, they're outside, it's noisy, it's cold, and the idea is we want to transition them to being here and being present," Ali said.
It's happening at the Young Adult Borough Center, or YABC's Roosevelt campus in the Bronx.
It's where student Martin Junior Vasquez got a second chance after failing to graduate high school.
"Two years ago, I discovered depression and it was not going so good," he said. "Very depressed, I was in a very dark place. I don't like talking about it, but thanks to this school and this project, I'm more open to talking about it.
The project, aptly called Success Mindset, was designed by Ali, the assistant principal, who with 16 years in education realized that education was doing everything but healing students.
"We're not telling them what to do, we're asking them questions that get them to reflect on what it is they want to do, and who they want to be," Ali said.
Student Ana Colon has always wanted to be a nurse, a dream both fueled and sidetracked by her father's battle with alcoholism.
"Unfortunately I lost my dad like weeks before the Regents so I had to fly to my country to be with my family," Colon said.
She never got her diploma and ended up in Ali's night class where mindful movement, breathing and goal-setting became just as important as conventional academics.
"It helped me think that even though I have challenges that might put me down, I can still put my head up," she said.
Just down the hall, Ali uses the same practices on her teachers, as both teachers and students bring with them battles that are much bigger than their studies.
"I also have two little siblings, I keep on going for them, and I have a big brother in jail. So it's like - I wasn't a big sister, now I am," Ciprian said.
The program may only be temporary, but students leave with more than high school credits.
"The idea is they wake up to who they truly are, they feel good about themselves, and we are empowering them," Ali said.
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