A brain garden grows @ p:ear

“From the beginning of time, in childhood, I thought that pain meant I was not loved. It meant I loved.”
– Louise Glück, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature

READ EN ESPAÑOL: Crecimiento de un jardín de cerebros unto a p:ear

In this time of COVID, extreme inequality and astonishingly irresponsible and heartless elites, we’ve missed our regular face to face visits with remarkable young people in Portland denied safe places to sleep.

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Our volunteers LOVE working with p:ear, a beloved community center providing essential services and support for houseless youth. P:ear offers a welcoming, arts-filled educational space downtown, filled with caring, knowledgeable and compassionate staff.

We are beyond honored to be their 2020 Community Partner!

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Young people denied affordable housing experience sleep deprivation, traumatic injury, dehumanization – and extreme brutality at the hands of the Portland Police. Many Portlanders protesting to support Black lives, including houseless youth, have been repeatedly beaten and sprayed indiscriminately with tear gas under current Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler for over 120 days.

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We were thrilled to return for the first of two properly masked, physically distanced visits with young people at p:ear, this time to examine cerebrums, discuss relevant, evidence-based neuroscience research, answer compelling questions about brains and behavior – and help paint and create a new BRAIN GARDEN!

Our enthusiastic, brainy and artistic volunteers were Luis Carrillo, Quinn Westlynd, Kassidy Fitzgerald and Sorrel Johnson from the Psychology department at Portland State University (PSU), Jasmin Mabry from PSU and the NIH BUILD EXITO program, Lidia Echeverria-Garcia from the Communication Disorders and Sciences department at the University of Oregon, Aaron Eisen from the National University of Naturopathic Medicine (NUNM), and Jacob Schoen from both NUNM and Oregon Health & Science University!

“What part of my brain makes me angry? I can’t sleep out here – what does that do to my brain? How can I calm myself down? The brain is really squishy! Why do music and painting feel good?”
– Young people at p:ear

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We heard from curious youth who marveled at the sulci and gyri that form who we are, shared powerful experiences and asked great questions of our volunteers.

And while some respectfully held our donated brains, others bedded new plants in curbside troughs, or picked up bristly paintbrushes to stipple and blend colors on plywood cerebrums for the new brain garden at p:ear!

Even the artist palettes at p:ear look like BRAINS!!

Gardens can relieve stress, reduce anxiety, boost immunity and improve our mental health.

“Gardening is an instrument of grace.”
– May Sarton

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“Being a part of NW Noggin and spending time with youth that struggle with being without homes, addiction, and mental heath is an honor and privilege.”
– Jacob Schoen, graduate student at NUNM/OHSU

Instagram story by Lidia Echeverria-Garcia, undergraduate at PSU

Thanks to our extraordinary NW Noggin volunteers, the wonderful folks at p:ear, and the young people who deserve much more of this nation’s wealth, resources, empathy and respect than they currently receive.