A Statewide Partner Spotlight: Matchstick Consulting
Across the country, statewide partners create meaningful, culturally responsive ways to bring Sources of Strength to life in their communities. In Oregon, our partners at Matchstick Consulting work closely with schools and youth-serving organizations across the state to implement Sources of Strength in ways that are locally grounded, youth-informed, and community-led.
During Black History Month, the Matchstick-led, Sources of Strength Oregon team created a series of culturally specific campaigns and classroom activities designed to honor Black strength, resilience, and joy. One powerful example came from Peer Educator Jocelyn, who developed a set of Black History Month coloring pages featuring quotes from Black leaders in mental health, social justice, and advocacy.
Below, we’re honored to share Matchstick’s reflection on this work in their own words
Celebrating Black History Month Intentionally
Written by Matchstick-Sources of Strength Oregon
For Black History Month, our team at Matchstick-Sources of Strength Oregon created a series of culturally specific campaigns, classroom activities, and curriculum adaptations that highlight and honor the strength, resilience, and joy within our Black communities. While we believe Black history is history and should be woven into everything we do, we also recognize Black History Month as an important opportunity to further amplify the wisdom and wellness practices found within the Black community. One of our standout campaigns was created by our Peer Educator, Jocelyn, who designed a series of coloring pages that featured inspiring quotes by Black people within mental health, social justice, and advocacy spaces.
Check out their Celebrate Black History Month Intentionally Instagram Post: Sources of Strength Oregon Instagram
Why Culturally Specific Campaigns Matter
We asked Jocelyn: “Why do culturally specific campaigns like this matter?”
“Being given the chance to create pieces of art for each quote for black history month meant a lot to me for many reasons. As someone who is both Latin X and African American, I tend to find myself being pulled to one side of myself instead of the other side of myself. For a long time I’ve just accepted it, but as the years went by I realized that I get to be both. Still, years after that realization, I would struggle to find opportunities to fit in and feel like I belonged in the BIPOC community. Over time, I’ve searched and worked hard to find opportunities to be more involved in culturally-specific work. When given the chance, I will always take it. This activity gave me the space to not only create something important, but to also sit with and embrace each quote as I created the art work. I feel like I not only created pieces of art, but I also feel like I learned along the way.”
— Jocelyn Baker, Peer Educator for Sources Oregon
To access Jocely’s coloring pages, click here. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f8B_S-06wft64qphRlrbnoQEQqPOlHRb
We’re grateful to Matchstick-Sources of Strength Oregon for their leadership in creating space for culturally responsive, youth-driven work, and to Jocelyn for sharing both her creativity and her lived experience. Examples like this remind us how powerful it can be when young people are trusted to lead, create, and shape campaigns that reflect who they are and what matters in their communities. To learn more about Matchstick Consulting and Sources of Strength Oregon, head to their website: Matchstick Consulting Website
