Pillar 5:

Sustaining Oneself
in the Struggle UCSC Students' Efforts to Sustaining in the Struggle

"You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone - any person or any force - dampen, dim, or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant." - John R. Lewis, 2017.

Getting Involved

Because of the context of the mid-20th century, many of the accepted outlets for stress were religion and relationships with others. But now in our current time, there are many more outlets for people to destress.

In college, we need to understand the balance between community involvement and self-care

Create time in your schedule for things that make you happy and content. This should include but not limited to

Access UCSC Healthy Campus Resources to support your wellness
Be Well with Student Health Services
On campus organization involvement
Nap Ministry: Rest as Resistance
Sports & Athletics involvement
Hiking & Nature Walks
Reading
Managing google calendar and setting time for yourself.
Movies/TV

Sleeping Slug holding brown teddy bear

Slugs 4 Self-Care

Slugs 4 Self-Care (S4SC) is a weekly C9/JRLC student-led group that meets weekly in Fall Quarter to discuss and implement self-care practices for students. S4SC is led by CUIP interns at the CoCo, one of the programming offices here at C9/JRLC and the only co-curricular programs office on campus.

In addition to S4SC, the CoCo works to offer programs at C9/JRLC throughout the year that center self-care for students, such as weekly mindfulness and gentle yoga sessions with a local yoga instructor and additional programs held throughout the year by their student team.

Radical Resilience Curriculum

"Radical resilience integrates social and healing justice into this work by recognizing and addressing historical institutional barriers and systems of oppression. A radical resilience approach recognizes self- and collective-care as acts of resistance to disconnection, marginalization, and internalized oppression (Pyles, Healing Justice). Radical resilience is both a paradigm and a set of practices. It is an approach that recognizes the power of self-compassion, purposeful actions, intentional connections, and healing past trauma. Radical resilience is an invitation to make conscious choices and develop meaningful relationships. Radical resilience is an approach that values and nurtures community. Radical resilience invites practitioners to bring their attention, care, and healing capacities to the ways that lived experiences manifest in our bodies, minds, and spirits as well as our communities."

Learn more about the Radical Resilience Initiative

Join the UC Santa Cruz Radical Resilience Training Program here!

"The Radical Resilience Training Program (RRTP) is an online, self-paced course that supports the goals of the RRI. It is comprised of six accessible online training modules that offer resilience-promoting frameworks and restorative practices for self- and community care. The training is designed to be utilized and applied by anyone on campus, including undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty to holistically support personal and campus mental health."

John R. Lewis College Presents:
Pathways to Thriving Communities

Necessary Trouble: Thinking with the Legacy of John R. Lewis
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” – John R. Lewis

Ready for some necessary trouble? In anticipation and in honor of the dedication of John R. Lewis College at UC Santa Cruz, the Division of Social Sciences, Colleges Nine and Ten, the Institute for Social Transformation, and the Center for Racial Justice organized five events centered on topics exemplified by the life of Representative John Lewis. At UC Santa Cruz, we believe that the real change is us. The series aimed to highlight the efforts of faculty, students, staff, community leaders, and alumni in their commitments to social and racial justice, civic engagement, and democracy as a call for all of us to carry John R. Lewis’ legacy forward. Events are on Wednesdays at 4:00 pm PST. All are welcome!

“These young people are saying we all have a right to know what is in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and the food we eat. It is our responsibility to leave this planet cleaner and greener. That must be our legacy.” ― John Lewis

The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the inextricable relationships between environmental degradation, economic precarity, racism, social deprivation, food insecurity, and unsafe working and living conditions. Health disparities reflect and exacerbate a multitude of inequities; inequities that John Lewis challenged throughout his life. From the establishment of Freedom Clinics with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to his promotion of health equity, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act while in Congress, John Lewis advocated for health care as a cornerstone of thriving communities. In this event, presenters will address how we can build and sustain thriving communities. We will broadly discuss community health from multiple perspectives and cultural frames, situated in racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Readings/Resources

How to Do Nothing - Jenny O'Del
Rest as Resistance: A Manifesto - Tricia Hersey
4000 Weeks, Time Management for Morals - Oliver Burkeman
Slugs 4 Self-Care
Bullet Journaling
Exercise classes
Yoga Classes
Self Care and activism
Sign up for a coaching session with the Black Girl Doctor and On the Margins to continue your resistance wellness journey

Moving Forward

Time to wrap up this Pillar! When you apply for the GTA Completion Certificate (prior to Graduation), you will complete a final reflection addressing each of the Five Pillars and linking the values and commitments in each pillar to some of the leadership and learning experiences you have had at JRLC and UCSC. The next module will explain what to do next to get your GTA Completion Certificate.