Narratives QC

09/07/2026

💙 Black Hawk College + Scott Community College students, we have LOVED meeting you! 💙

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to spend time on both campuses, meet so many incredible students, and tell you a little about Narratives QC.

But you know what we love even more than meeting you on campus?

Seeing you walk through OUR doors. 🥹

And some of you already have! You’ve ventured over, joined us for events, met new people, and started discovering what this community is all about. We cannot tell you how happy that makes us.

College can be an exciting season, but it can also come with stress, uncertainty, loneliness, big decisions, and a whole lot of figuring life out as you go. Choosing to invest in your own well-being, build connections, and find support along the way matters. We commend you for doing that.

At Narratives, you don’t have to have everything figured out before you walk through the door. Come to a class. Join us for an event. Meet some people. Hang out. Ask for support. We’re here for you and excited to walk alongside you in whatever way we can.

📅 And we have LOTS happening this September! Check out our calendar and pick something that sounds like you.

We hope to see many more of our new Black Hawk and Scott Community College friends this fall. 💙

Find all of our upcoming events at
www.narrativesqc.org/events

You met us on your campus Scott Community College and Black Hawk College. Now come meet your community.

09/06/2026

🔥 WOW! The MLK Center knows how to throw a party! 🔥

The Narratives QC team had such a great time yesterday at Soul of the City. The party was on FIRE, and we don’t just mean the weather! ☀️🔥

We loved meeting so many members of our community, making new connections, and spending the day celebrating together.

And apparently, we earned a couple of new titles along the way. 😂 We were “unofficially” named the best table and “the popsicle ladies” by all of the kids. Turns out giving away popsicles on a VERY hot day is an excellent community engagement strategy. 😂 We’ll take it!

But our favorite part of the entire day?

Seeing so many Narratives young adults attending AND working the event. 💙

There is something incredibly special about seeing the young adults we serve out in the community, connecting with others, contributing, working, leading, and being part of what makes the Quad Cities such a great place to call home.

Seeing our young adults in action will always make our hearts soar.

We might be a little biased, but they are the future soul of our community. And we couldn’t be prouder.

A huge THANK YOU to The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center for inviting us and for hosting such a fantastic day. We’ll see you next year, and yes, we promise to bring the popsicles again! 😂

Until then, we’ll keep doing what we love: building connections, strengthening community, and investing in young adults every single day.

09/04/2026

Why are we called Narratives?

Because we believe every life tells a story. And we believe your hardest chapter should never get to write the ending.

Maybe parts of your story include anxiety, trauma, loss, rejection, loneliness, addiction, family struggles, or simply feeling like you have no idea what comes next.

Those things may be part of your story. But they are not all of your story.

At Narratives QC, we walk alongside young adults as they build the next chapters of their lives. Through life coaching, mental health support, life skills, groups, classes, creative expression, and a community where you can genuinely belong, we’re here to help you move from where you are toward where you want to be.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You don’t have to have everything together.
You just have to be willing to take the next step.

If you’re a young adult ages 17–29 in the Quad Cities, that next step can start with us.

Come meet us. Get connected. Find your people. And start writing what comes next.

Because every story matters. Especially yours.

Sign up to get connected: https://www.narrativesqc.org/youngadults

09/04/2026

🎉 BLACK HAWK COLLEGE, YOU KNOW HOW TO WELCOME STUDENTS BACK! 🎉

What a party! 🙌

A huge THANK YOU to Black Hawk College for inviting Narratives QC to be part of your Club Fair. We loved the energy, the excitement, and most of all, getting to meet and talk with so many of YOU.

To all the students starting a new semester: WELCOME BACK! 💙📚 We’re cheering you on as you take on classes, work, relationships, deadlines, figuring out your future...and everything else college life throws your way.

And if you're already thinking, “Okay, this semester is A LOT...” 😅 we have something coming up just for you.

📚 Managing College Time & Stress Workshop
📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 10 AM–12 PM
📍 Narratives QC | 213 17th St., Rock Island

This workshop is designed specifically for college students who want practical strategies for managing their time, handling stress, staying on top of responsibilities, and taking care of themselves along the way.

And to everyone we met at Black Hawk: we hope we see you again soon! Come check out Narratives, meet other young adults, and discover a community where you can connect, belong, and grow.

Here’s to a GREAT year, Black Hawk College! 🎉

09/02/2026

🎉 WE HAVE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE! 🎉

We are incredibly excited and grateful to announce that Narratives QC has received a grant from the Aerie Real Foundation! 💛

This one feels especially meaningful.

The Aerie Real Foundation is a national foundation committed to building confidence and empowering women and girls, and they have chosen to invest right here in the Quad Cities, in the young women who call our community home.

That recognition matters.

It says that the lives, voices, mental health, dreams, and futures of Quad City young women are worth investing in. And we could not agree more.

Because of this generous support, Narratives QC can provide programming created specifically to help young women connect, grow, build confidence, find community, and recognize their own strength and potential.

And we are putting that investment to work right away!

🌼 This September, we are launching the Arise Women Collective, a new monthly gathering exclusively for young women ages 17–29.

Arise will be a place for honest conversations, meaningful connection, encouragement, personal growth, and belonging. A place where young women can show up exactly as they are and grow alongside other women who are figuring out life, too.

To the Aerie Real Foundation, THANK YOU for believing in this work. Thank you for recognizing what is happening here in the Quad Cities. And most importantly, thank you for choosing to invest in our young women.

We cannot wait to show you what grows from that investment. 💛

At Narratives QC, we say it often because we mean it:

Thank you, Aerie Real Foundation, for becoming part of our story. 🌼💛

Aerie, we couldn't be US without YOU!

09/02/2026

⚾ This is us. This is Narratives. 💙💛

Last week, 24 of us gathered at the ballpark for our annual end-of-summer celebration.

What you see in this picture is a group enjoying a beautiful night at the ballpark. The weather was perfect (and thankfully MUCH cooler than this week! 😅). We watched baseball, enjoyed the rides, and stayed for the fireworks.

But what you don’t see in the picture is what matters most.

You don’t see the belonging being built.
The connections being made.
The laughter. The conversations. The joy.
The chance to simply take a break from the stressors of everyday life and be part of something.

Some of our young adults had never been to a baseball game before. Others showed up knowing absolutely no one and left with new friends.

And here’s the really beautiful part: some of those new friends connected again just two days later at our Open Mic Night.

That’s how community grows.

Our events are so much more than just “hangouts.” They create spaces where young adults can show up, take a chance, meet someone new, experience joy, and discover that there is a place where they belong.

These moments are life-giving. And they are at the heart of why Narratives exists.

This is us.
This is community.
This is Narratives QC. 💙💛

08/31/2026

🎓 Welcome back, EICC Scott Community College students! 🎓

A new school year is here, and we loved getting to help kick it off with you!

A huge THANK YOU to Eastern Iowa Community Colleges for inviting Narratives QC to be part of your Resource Fair. It was so great meeting so many of you, sharing what Narratives is all about, and letting you know that there is a community here for you beyond the classroom.

College can be exciting. It can also be stressful, overwhelming, and sometimes a little lonely. You don’t have to figure everything out by yourself.

If you need support navigating life, help working toward a goal, or simply a place where you can connect, belong, and be yourself, Narratives QC is here. Our programs and support are FREE for young adults ages 17–29.

And college students, we have something coming up just for YOU! It's open to all students attending any college.

📚 Managing College: Time & Stress
📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 10 AM–12 PM
📍 Narratives QC | 213 17th St., Rock Island

We’ll talk about practical ways to manage your time, handle the stress that comes with college, and make the semester feel a little more manageable.

To all the students we met: we’re cheering you on and wishing you an incredible school year! And remember, our door is open. 💙💛

Eastern Iowa Community College

08/31/2026

September is PACKED at Narratives QC! 🙌

We have so many great opportunities coming up to connect, learn, grow, and have some fun. Check out our September calendar and start making your plans, because we’re kicking things off THIS WEDNESDAY!

😄😤🥹 UP FIRST: LIVING WITH EMOTIONS 😭😡🤩

Because having emotions is part of being human. Knowing what to do with them? That’s a skill we can learn.

Our 3-part, 3-week Living with Emotions class will help you better understand what you’re feeling, learn healthy ways to manage those emotions, and practice communicating them effectively.

📅 Wednesdays: September 2, 9 & 16
⏰ 7 PM
📍 Narratives QC | 213 17th Street, Rock Island
💙 FREE for young adults ages 17–29

It starts THIS Wednesday night! Bring a friend and come grow with us. You don’t want to miss it.

And this is just the beginning. Money Matters, Arise Women Collective, Bible Study, Bonfire Night, Managing College Stress & Time, Rock Painting, Spoken Word Workshop, and more are all coming in September!

Your community is waiting. Come be part of it. 💙💛

08/30/2026

Next Saturday, one week from today, Narratives QC will be at Soul of the City. Be sure to stop by and say Hi. We’d ❤️ to connect with you.

Soul of the City 2026 is just around the corner! 🎉 Join us on Saturday, September 5 at Franklin Field for one of Rock Island's biggest community celebrations.

Enjoy a full day of live entertainment, delicious food, local vendors, community resources, family activities, and much more. Best of all, admission is FREE!

Visit www.mlkcenter.org/events/soul-of-the-city to learn more.

We can't wait to celebrate with you! 💙💚🧡

08/29/2026

🔥 ARE YOU HERE TONIGHT?! 🔥

Because if you’re not in the house at Narratives QC right now… you are SERIOUSLY missing out.

We hate to cause FOMO, but WOW. 👏

🎤 The talent is REAL.
🎶 The voices are incredible.
🔥 The words being spoken are raw, powerful, and inspiring.
❤️ And the support in this room? Unmatched.

People are taking the stage, sharing pieces of themselves, cheering each other on, and creating something pretty special together.

THIS is what community looks like.

A place to show up.
A place to be heard.
A place to cheer for someone else.
A place to belong.

And tonight, this room is FULL of it.

If you missed this one, consider this your warning: you do NOT want to miss the next Narratives QC Open Mic Night. 🎤🔥