Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Capitan.
Tatiana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started with one confused and overwhelmed parent trying to find local resources for her recently identified gifted (already diagnosed ADHD) child. I was in the process of advocating for my son within the school system when he was tested and identified as gifted. In the hopes of getting answers and guidance from other parents in Miami, while also helping any other parents who may have similar questions which I could in turn answer, I started the Facebook Group “Parents of Gifted Children in Miami,” which slowly but surely grew to include not only parents of gifted children, but also gifted advocates, child psychologists, gifted specialists, and teachers of the gifted.
During conversations within the Facebook Group and in person, it became clear that there is a general lack of understanding about what giftedness is and a need for affordable mental health services provided by people who understand the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children. By reaching out to fellow parents within the FB Group and meeting with anyone who might be interested in our mission, we were able to form our Founding Board. Miami Gifted Children, Inc. is now a Florida Not for Profit Corporation in the process of becoming a 501(c)(3). This is a community effort and we’re reaching out to any individuals and organizations who we can collaborate with to provide the services our community says it needs.
We are here to support the gifted and twice-exceptional children in our community, and the adults involved in their everyday lives. In order to support these children, we must also educate, guide, and support the adults who will be raising them!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a nonprofit is no easy process and is a collaborative effort. It was with the encouragement of a friend and fellow mom of a 2e child, Diana Ariza, that we decided to start the nonprofit. I created the Facebook Group “Parents of Gifted Children in Miami” in 2016. Two years later, on April 20, 2018, I sat down with Diana and started our first baby steps towards making Miami Gifted Children a reality.
I have zero nonprofit experience, only my personal experience as a parent to a gifted/ADHD child, and the knowledge I’ve acquired through my conversations with fellow parents, child psychologists, gifted advocates, and endless hours on gifted forums, reading books, and listening to podcasts and webinars. My goal when I started reaching out to people who could serve on our Founding Board, was finding others with the same passion but who also have the professional experience I lack. As an introvert with social anxiety, it’s been completely out of comfort zone, but that just goes to show how much I care about this cause. Through these meetings, I found our Board Treasurer and Secretary, Kirsten Schwarz, and Board Secretary, Yahilin Laseca, as well as many child psychologists who we look forward to working with in order to provide much-needed support to gifted children and their parents/guardians.
Miami Gifted Children is still brand new and still developing our programs and schedule, so right now we’re focusing on continuing to support parents through our FB Group which has since been renamed to Parents of Miami Gifted Children, and spreading gifted awareness on our FB and IG pages. Our website www.miamigiftedchildren has a Gifted Testing & Therapy Directory, Schools with Gifted Programs Directory, as well as additional resources we hope will help make parents’ lives easier.
Miami Gifted Children, Inc. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Miami Gifted Children supports the intellectual growth and socioemotional well-being of gifted and twice-exceptional children through informational workshops and guidance to the adults in the lives of gifted/2e children, group therapy sessions with a focus on coping skills and mindfulness for gifted/2e children, bringing STEAM enrichment to underserved communities, and increase gifted awareness.
We want these incredibly intelligent, curious, creative, and intense children to have access to all the tools (academic and socioemotional) NOW, so that they may grow up to be well-rounded individuals, successful not only in their academic lives and future careers but in their personal lives as well. Our goal is to work hand-in-hand with the parents/guardians of gifted and twice-exceptional (term used to describe a gifted child with a disability) children to nurture emotionally healthy individuals.
We do not discriminate, and do not require that anyone “prove their giftedness.” We are aware that there are many reasons why a parent may choose not to test their child, including not being able to afford it or simply not being aware that their child may be gifted. There is an underrepresentation of minority students in gifted programs. We hope that through our awareness campaign (first by educating parents on the traits and characteristics of giftedness, and eventually teacher training) we can make sure all gifted children are getting the appropriate support they need to prosper both academically and emotionally.
Tell us about your favorite and least favorites things about our city.
I love that Miami is such a spread out city with what seems like an infinite amount of resources and activities for families. Unfortunately, because it is so spread out, finding those resources may be difficult to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for. There are plenty of schools with gifted programs, psychologists experienced with gifted/2e children, STEAM businesses, and neat activities that our children would LOVE, but they’re not always easy to find, or close by, or affordable. We hope our website makes finding these resources easier for parents of gifted children, and we also look forward to collaborating with a great variety of businesses and organizations throughout Miami to make mental health services (listen closely, this is the important part: EXPERIENCED with gifted and twice-exceptional children) and STEAM activities accessible to families who may not be able to otherwise afford them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.miamigiftedchildren.org
- Email: info@miamigiftedchildren.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamigiftedchildren/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miamigiftedchildren/
Image Credit:
ETRPhotography305
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