To celebrate the inaugural year of AUSD’s Parent and Caregiver Empowerment Summit (PACES) initiative, San Gabriel High School hosted an engaging community event focused on empowering local parents. As a part of this annual event, dozens of community organizations–including Therapicasso–were invited to participate in a comprehensive resource fair and a series of interactive mini workshops called “empower stations”.

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The event was centered around two purposes: one, to provide parents with valuable resources for their mental health, and two, to create a space for open dialogue about the challenges of parenting. By fostering connection and vulnerability, the PACES event aimed to support parents in both their well-being and their relationships with their children.

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Therapicasso’s “empower station” directly aligned with this goal, as it focused on challenging the stigma surrounding mental health through encouraging conversation. The activity, titled “I Wish You Knew”, invited parents to reflect on their internal emotional experiences and share what they wish their child or younger self knew about how they feel. The messages were written anonymously on sticky notes and posted on a shared board for other parents to read.

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As attendees walked through the workshop, they encountered deeply personal messages, some about regret, others about love and hope. Reading these messages allowed parents to recognize that they are not alone in their struggles.

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By addressing the stigma surrounding mental health and creating space for honest conversations that are often left unspoken, the “I Wish You Knew” activity served as a quiet yet immensely impactful form of advocacy. It gave parents the opportunity to rewrite their internal narratives and practice emotional honesty in a safe space. 

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Therapicasso’s participation at this event exemplified the importance of creative, youth-driven forms of advocacy. By the end of the day, many participants left with not only tangible resources but also a renewed sense of community and a deeper understanding of themselves. 

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Events like AUSD’s PACES are essential in bridging the generational gaps through fostering healing conversations. They serve as a reminder that transformation can begin in simple ways, like being seen, heard, and understood.

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