YES Party | Winter Forest Fairy Tale, Let’s get closer to nature!YES Party
Feb.7.2025
On January 5, 2025, on the occasion of the new year, YES Mentors were invited by Shanghai Roots & Shoots went to Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park for the one-day YES (Youth Environmental Sustainability) Party.
In the morning, the mentors kicked off the warm and enjoyable day with the game “You Tell, I Guess” on a great lawn.
While the sun was shining gently, the mentors took out the well-prepared Natural gifts and exchanged them, each of which interpreted the principle of “It’s the thought that counts”.
After the laughter, people quieted down for an outdoor meditation. Led by mentor Ms. He, everyone closed their eyes and fully engaged in a dialog with their hearts.
Next, people tried Tree Hugging for Healing to gain a deep connection with nature through touch, and drew the tree on a postcard.
After a simple picnic on the lawn, Roots & Shoots continue the outdoor natural tour aiming to enhance the natural tactile experience. Each family was given a Ziplock bag to collect the natural objects that corresponded to given clues on the task list.
Families then went on a free exploration. This was an extremely healing process, as people walked through the lawns, fallen leaves, forests, and ponds, and found things that wouldn’t be paid attention to ordinarily, such as birds’ nests, or the feathers. They worked together as hairdresser to complete their final creations as below.
The day ended with a casual coffee chat at the café at the park gate, where the participants shared their mentoring experiences and insights from YES classes. YES party was ended with joy and inspiration on the warm afternoon of winter.