CREATE

Children’s Recreational, Education, Arts, and Therapeutic Experience

To reach our most vulnerable clients, Metropolitan Ministries has launched an innovative program, CREATE. CREATE gives school-age children a nurturing therapeutic environment to grow, process their challenges, and learn techniques to deal with their emotions.

The purpose is to provide a safe place for students to express themselves, extend their creativity, and galvanize into their full potential.

How we do it

Each group of students in the program is uniquely staffed with a group leader, Therapeutic Specialist, and Registered Behavioral Technician. Large and small group therapeutic activities and interventions support parents and children.

Staff utilizes a social-emotional curriculum and applied behavioral analysis techniques to foster social, emotional, and behavioral development. Special activities promote prosocial behavior and alleviating distress.

Enrollment

CREATE is designed for families in Metropolitan Ministries’ emergency shelter and transitional housing programs. Follow these steps to register. 

  1. Ask for a school readiness voucher from case management. 
  2. Visit the PromiseLand Early Childhood Education Center and ask for an enrollment packet. 
  3. Return the completed forms to the PromiseLand Early Childhood Education Center.
  4. Schedule an appointment with the CREATE staff by calling (813) 209-1247.

Youth program

Metropolitan Ministries Youth Program enriches youth with the tools to break the cycle of poverty while growing to become future leaders. Dedicated to serving middle and high school students living on campus and in our community, our youth program staff and teens are trauma-informed. We practice seven commitments: open communication, social learning, growth & change, social responsibility, non-violence, democracy, & emotional intelligence.

How we do it

To encourage the natural talents, curiosity, and spirit of our students, we actively participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) programming. 

Metropolitan Ministries currently has a robotics team, Coding Hope, which competes throughout the season.

A STEAM expert leads students in a variety of activities weekly, as well as community support for our creative arts programming.

Teens participate in a series of programs and classes that include:

  • Dale Carnegie Leadership Seminar;
  • Teen Toastmasters;
  • Teen employment bootcamp; and
  • Social awareness seminars.

These services are provided thanks to a grant from the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.