Many scientific studies have shown that practicing giving and gratitude makes us happier and healthier. Other studies suggest that people who come from families with strong giving traditions tend to be happier than those who don’t. We take it for granted that it’s important to teach healthy eating habits, work/study habits, and relationship skills; why not work on building habits of giving and gratitude together? Here are five ways to practice giving and gratitude as a family.

 

1. Volunteer together. Food banks and soup kitchens can use lots of help this time of year. Many organizations allow older kids to volunteer alongside their parents.

 

2. Appreciation week: For seven consecutive days, leave a Post-It note for a family member describing one thing you love about them. It might be best to start with the parents doing this for the kids, rather than nagging kids to do this for parents!

 

3. Clean out your closets and bring gently used coats to a local shelter together.

 

5. Keep a family gratitude journal: family members jot down what they’re grateful for, and the date. Each time you reach a hundred things, celebrate with ice cream and cake—or anything special that your family can enjoy together.

 

More resources:

How to Build Your Gratitude, an Essential Leadership Skill, ewf.international.com

The Mental Health Benefits of Gratitude for Teens, adaa.org

The Power of Giving Back: How Philanthropy is Changing Lives, honorsociety.org

15 Ways to Teach Kids About Giving During the Holidays (While Doing Something As a Family!), paradigmadvisors.com

 

Our Cinnamongirls received their pins at our Second Annual Cinnamongirl Pinning Ceremony, where we celebrated their talent, ambition, dedication, and hard work. The pins acknowledged their enthusiastic participation in their cohorts, as well as their achievements: many have become published authors, champions for Entrepreneurgirl, panel moderators at the Bay Area Book Festival, and world travelers. The girls moved us with their powerful testimonies about how they've grown, and what Cinnamongirl means to them. Hear from Cinnamongirl Denver in the video below.

So much gratitude to our amazing sponsors and donors! With your generosity, we raised $13,951 to help us continue to support these amazing young women on their journey to greatness.

Cinnamongirl would like to extend our deepest thanks to Macy's ($4k), Cisco ($10k), and Grantmakers for Girls of Color ($10k), who found it in their budgets to support girls of color. But remember, you don’t have to be a multibillion dollar corporation to help! We rely on the giving spirit of individuals as much as organizations.

The mental health crisis among youth is real. Black girls and LGBTQ youth are experiencing record rates of self-harm and suicide; the percentage of Black girls dying of suicide is rising faster than any other group. Our Girls' Mental Health Summit will take place on April 20, 2024 for an afternoon of deep conversation about mental health. With special guest California First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom, we will discuss ways to prioritize our mental health, and how to care for ourselves and each other.

By Cinnamongirl Chariot

For one week in October, two Cinnamongirls and two chaperones participated in the Commonwealth Club’s Civil Rights Tour of the South. Cinnamongirl Chariot provided us with this lovely summary of her big takeaway. You can also check out her video above.

 

Throughout this trip, the words of Dr. Maya Angelou echoed inside my ears: “Still I rise.” This trip was filled with loads of history, good and bad. I have learned that African Americans have overcome so many mountains that were built to destroy our communities. From the lynching of Emmett Till to the bombing of the church on 16th Street, there has been so much hate directed towards people with melanated skin and the rights that we deserve. But through the hate, instead of fighting with our fists, we fought with the love Jesus gave us. We utilized the churches as planning spaces and peacefully marched through the streets, started beneficial programs, did peaceful sit-ins, and created organizations with hopes of bringing black people closer to freedom inside this country. Great leaders emerged from the church, like Martin Luther King Jr, Daisy Bates, Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evans, and W.E.B Dubois. Like Moses who led the Israelites to the promised land, through these leaders' endeavors and sacrifice, African Americans rose from the hate that was destined to destroy us.

 

The 8-12 cohort read The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert, which follows two very different Black girls in an otherwise all-white town as they team up to uncover long-buried secrets. The 13-18 cohort read Elizabeth Acevedo’s stunning novel in verse, With the Fire on High, about a fiercely talented and ambitious Dominican American teen who is a single mother. Both cohorts will take December off and begin again in the new year.

 

The Write Your Story cohort was treated to an inspiring master class on memoir (Memoir: Who Will Tell Your Story?) in November, led by activist, author, and philanthropist Deborah Santana. Early in December, they delved into the intricacies of building an engaging plot with author Misa Sugiura (Ingredients of Great Fiction), and will hone their poetic language skills with poet Thea Matthews (The Five S’s to Poetry: Speaker, Setting, Syntax, Sense, & Structure) in the middle of the month.

 

Our Travelgirl cohort is hard at work raising funds for their trip to Brazil. But fundraising is not easy! We invite you to host a small fundraiser to support our scholarship girls and activities, or feel free to click the “Donate Now” button below to support our travels to the Rainforest and Bahia.

Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer by Maya Angelou. It’s technically for adults, but teens will also appreciate this beautiful book of poetry. It includes poems for grand occasions, like “On the Pulse of the Morning,” read at Bill Clinton’s inauguration; and “A Brave and Startling Truth,” which marks the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations; as well as poems for small, personal celebrations. (ages 13 and up)

 

The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller. Natalie enters a science contest in hopes of winning prize money that will enable her to fly with her mother to see the rare Cobalt Blue Orchids, which survive against impossible odds and which Natalie is convinced will heal her mother’s depression. Her friends support her on her journey and show her that talking about her problems is the only way to shrink them. (ages 8 - 12)

 

Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera. Award-winning poet Nikki Grimes and Caldecott Honor illustrator Cozbi Cabrera bring us a beautiful series of poems that celebrate connection and relationship, and honor the moments that bring us together in gratitude. (ages 4 - 8)

 

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorelli. Illustrated by Frane Lessac. Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that expresses gratitude. This books takes readers through a year of Cherokee experiences and celebrations, highlighting all the things the narrator is grateful for. A wonderful way to learn, and to celebrate the world and people around us. (ages 3 - 5)