14d • Rooted Spotlights
Rooted Spotlight Destiny Arts Center
This week’s Rooted Spotlight is an organization that shaped me deeply—Destiny Arts Center in Oakland. I had the honor of working there for three years helping to develop the Care Team (here my voice and video at 1:29 minutes!), building wraparound supports that continue to hold kids and families in powerful ways. I came to do what I was meant to do in what was supposed to be a year and ended up 3—and while it was hard to leave, I’m incredibly proud of what we built and how Destiny continues to serve.
Destiny is where I deepen my understanding of somatics. That experience changed me. It transformed how I understand relationship—with young people, with community, with myself. Somatics moved from something I was learning into something I live.
What makes Destiny extraordinary is that it is an arts organization first—mental health is not separate or siloed. It is integrated into the making of art. Young people train in hip hop, martial arts, and performance with teaching artists, while clinicians work alongside them, weaving regulation, reflection, and healing into the creative process. There is something profoundly dignifying about that model.
And culturally? When I wear my Destiny sweatshirt out in the Bay Area, someone always says, “I did Destiny.” or “Destiny is the best.” It holds a powerful place in this community—and I truly don’t know of another model quite like it across the country.
Rooted Spotlight is about honoring organizations doing good work in the world. Destiny is one of those places. 🌿
If you’ve experienced Destiny—drop your memories below. What organizations have shaped you the way Destiny shaped me?
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Rooted Spotlight Destiny Arts Center
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