Over the past six weeks, participants of GROW Batch #1 have embarked on a journey that was not always easy. Together, they explored grief, reflected on personal experiences, and created space for emotions that are often difficult to express. Through creative activities, guided reflections, movement, and shared conversations, participants were invited to approach their experiences with greater curiosity, compassion, and self-awareness.
The sixth and final session, Celebrate Your Journey, served as both a closing chapter and a celebration of that process. Held at Galeri Lorong, the session invited participants to mark their journeys, share their stories, and witness the growth that had unfolded along the way.
A Note of Gratitude
Before reflecting on the day, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made GROW Batch #1 possible.
Thank you to all participants who showed up with courage, openness, and a willingness to engage in this journey together. Week after week, they brought their stories, questions, hopes, and vulnerabilities into the space, helping create a community rooted in trust and mutual support.
Thank you to our facilitators, volunteers, collaborators, and the team from Listenang Club for helping create a space grounded in warmth, empathy, and acceptance.
Most importantly, thank you to every participant who chose to keep showing up for themselves, even when the process felt challenging. Growth often begins with that simple yet courageous decision.
A Journey Worth Marking
Throughout the previous five sessions, much of the grief work happened internally. Participants reflected on their experiences, explored difficult emotions, and uncovered meanings that often remained unspoken.
Session six became the moment when that inner journey surfaced—acknowledged, shared, and witnessed.
This was not a space for comparison or evaluation. Instead, it was an opportunity for each participant to pause, look back, and recognize how far they had come. Not because the journey was complete, but because every step forward, however small, deserved recognition.
A self-marking journey. A moment to honor one’s own process and growth.
From Experience to Creative Expression
The day began with participants exploring a gallery of works created throughout the program.
What had once lived quietly within—thoughts, emotions, memories, and reflections—had taken form through storytelling, visual art, movement, music, and other creative expressions.
These works became tangible representations of personal journeys, allowing experiences to be seen, felt, and witnessed by others.
Research (Creative expression and mental health) suggests that creative expression can support emotional regulation, self-reflection, and meaning-making by providing a safe way to externalize complex emotions and experiences. Through the creative process, people are often able to transform difficult feelings into something that can be explored, understood, and shared with others.
This was something we witnessed throughout the gallery. The artworks were more than final products; they were reflections of inner journeys. Experiences that had once been carried silently were given shape, making them visible not only to others but also to the participants themselves.
As participants moved through the space, they were invited to recognize their own growth while witnessing the courage, vulnerability, and resilience of others. In doing so, the gallery became more than an exhibition. It became a collective act of meaning-making and connection.
Each piece reflected a unique story of grief, resilience, and transformation.
Returning to the Body
Before moving into the main activities, participants were invited into a brief grounding and breathing practice.
This pause served as a reminder that celebrating a journey begins with being fully present. By reconnecting with their breath and bodies, participants created space to arrive in the moment before sharing and listening to one another.
In a world that often encourages us to move quickly from one task to the next, this simple practice invited participants to slow down and notice what was happening within them.
Sometimes, growth begins not with speaking, but with simply being present.
Practicing Deep Listening with Listenang Club
One of the highlights of the session was a deep listening practice facilitated by Listenang Club.
In small groups, participants took turns sharing and listening. They were invited to listen without rushing to give advice, solve problems, or judge another person’s experience.
For many of us, listening is often associated with responding. This practice offered something different: the opportunity to listen with curiosity, patience, and care.
The experience reminded us that what people often need most is not a solution, but genuine presence.
Listening with care can be a powerful act of support, connection, and compassion.
Being Heard, and Choosing to Listen
Through the Grief Box activity, several participants shared personal experiences of grief and loss.
These stories were met with warmth, understanding, and quiet presence.
During the reflection session, many participants expressed a common realization: something shifts when we feel truly heard. Likewise, something changes when we choose to listen fully to another person.
Being witnessed in our experiences can help reduce feelings of isolation and remind us that we do not have to carry our struggles alone.
Moments like these help deepen connection, foster empathy, and create opportunities for healing.
Celebrating the Journey
The day also featured musical performances and a short film that captured the journey of GROW Batch #1 from beginning to end.
The film offered a gentle reminder of how much participants had experienced together—from their first introductions and reflections to the courage it took to share their stories and support one another.
As photos, memories, and moments from previous sessions appeared on screen, participants were invited to reflect on both the visible and invisible ways they had changed throughout the program.
It was an opportunity to pause and recognize that even slow, quiet growth deserves to be celebrated.
The Program Ends, but the Journey Continues
GROW Batch #1 has officially come to a close.
Yet the lessons we practiced together moving at our own pace, staying present with our emotions, listening without judgment, and approaching ourselves with compassion—will continue long after the program ends.
The closing of the program is not the end of the journey. Rather, it marks the beginning of carrying these practices into everyday life, relationships, and communities.
Growth does not always happen through dramatic breakthroughs.
Sometimes, growth happens when we allow ourselves to slow down, honor our experiences, and acknowledge each step we have taken.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Acknowledging the People Behind the Journey
We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who walked alongside us throughout this journey.
To our partners — Omah Kebon Nitiprayan, Kerbon Tamantirto, Galeri Lorong, Sandjivvane, GitGud, Greenesia, and Herbaria. Thank you for your support, collaboration, and belief in the vision of GROW Batch #1.
To our facilitators — Vina, Clessya, Agustin, Sati, and Dimas. Thank you for creating spaces for learning, reflection, and growth with such care, wisdom, and generosity.
To our Peer Facilitators — Hasna, Bening, and Diva. Thank you for your warmth, encouragement, and presence in supporting participants throughout the program.
To the Talk Mental Health team — Edo, Frans, Tita, Elga. Thank you for the countless efforts behind the scenes that helped each session run smoothly and meaningfully.
To our volunteers from SJK and Esther as the documentation team. Thank you for your time, energy, and dedication in helping bring this journey to life.
To all invited guests, family members, friends, and loved ones who joined us during the closing celebration. Thank you for filling the space with encouragement, support, and joy.
This journey reminds us that healing, growth, and transformation do not happen in isolation. They become possible through relationships, community, and the willingness to show up for one another.
Thank you for being part of GROW Batch #1. Because growth becomes even more meaningful when it is shared.
We look forward to meeting again in the journeys ahead.
Want to discover more meaningful and inspiring events from TMH.id?
Explore our other community programs and workshops on our website.
