Circles de Confianza

Circles de Confianza is a peer-led model of social support and creative expression. The aim of these groups is to develop community and enact practices of multimodal storytelling for social change, testimonio. Via participation in Circles de Confianza, students use written and oral narration, photography, and engaged listening to tell individual and collective stories. From their testimonios, students identify themes that offer suggestions on how to heal experiences of distrust and how to leverage experiences of trust, creating a process by which to imagine schools of trust. These testimonios are shared with educators, parents, and community members in dialogue sessions oriented towards action. Data indicates that the process of engaging in Circles de Confianza and multimodal testimonio can enhance trust and belonging and provide a mechanism by which to organize action towards systemic change and enact culturally sustaining pedagogies, supporting the well-being of high school aged students.