The world is becoming an increasingly complex and interconnected place for kids and teenagers. The additional challenge of tech is introducing all kinds of new opportunities, complications, and questions of belonging and identity. Now more than ever, it seems crucial for parents and schools to be teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents.
Here are three examples of educators and programs that are intentionally working to bring these much-needed skills to growing minds.
Salvador Montes is a social worker at Oak Lawn Community High School. He has been helping students deal with feelings of anxiety and overwhelm by offering video game meditation sessions. Montes streams feeds from games like Spider-Man and Destiny 2. While they’re playing, he invites his students to focus their attention on the game. He uses a common technique: focus on three things they can see, feel, and hear, all while taking steady deep breaths.
The Holistic Life Foundation (HLF) is a nonprofit based in Baltimore, MD. They’ve recently expanded to two satellite locations: the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation in Akwesasne, NY, and Miami, FL. The efforts to branch out and bring the benefits of wellness to underserved communities started this summer in Akwesasne. Senior HLF staff will spend a year in the community facilitating yoga and teaching mindfulness to children and teens by leading classes in schools. They’ll also be training 15 community leaders to help grow their programming in the community. The world is taking notice of HLF’s work, as well. You can listen to People Fixing the World—a BBC World Service program spotlighting real solutions that are making a difference.
The Art of Coping, a program created by the nonprofit TRUE Skool, offers kids and teens in Milwaukee, WI, new ways to relax and express their emotions. Through classes held online, kids are given tools to deal with everyday stress of all kinds. Daily practices include meditation, affirmations, creative writing, and art. Each week the live classes are teaching mindfulness to children by encouraging them to explore a new tool to give kids the opportunity to identify which practices they can incorporate into their life.
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