Guests arriving at this year’s PEP Rally for Kids were greeted by music before they even reached the door. The source was the PEP House Band, a group of students representing all of PEP’s Therapeutic Schools, who came together for the first time to perform at our annual fundraiser.
For weeks, the students practiced, working not only on the music but on the social-emotional skills they would need to perform for more than 350 guests.
When the day came, they were ready. Stationed at the entrance, the band worked through its set list as dozens of guests stopped to listen. One student who struggled with stage fright used the emotional regulation skills he and his teacher had rehearsed and was able to perform, despite his initial reluctance.
“I heard from so many guests that they loved seeing the PEP House Band,” said Susan Berger, PEP’s chief external relations officer and the main organizer of the event. “The students did an amazing job.”
At PEP we ground our work in a strengths-based philosophy known as Re-ED, developed by child psychology pioneer Dr. Nicholas Hobbs. At its core, Re-ED focuses on uncovering and building on the strengths young people already have, anchored in the belief that successful living is healing. For the students in the PEP House Band, the chance to sharpen their musical skills and perform for a crowd wasn’t just fun. It was proof of what they can do, and that is healing.
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