Expanding Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools Across the US
Summary
Holistic Life Foundation committed in 2022 to scaling Mindful Moment, a school-based mental health program that utilizes a trauma-informed approach to teach students and staff calming and self-regulating techniques through yoga and mindfulness. Building from 15 years of success in the Baltimore City School District, HLF will expand to address access to school-based youth mental health treatment in 5 poverty dense U.S. cities lacking resources by the end of 2023.
Approach
HLF commits to scaling the Mindful Moment program to five additional U.S. cities by the end of 2023. We aim to use our expertise in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) treatment and trauma-informed practices to address access to youth mental health treatment in poverty dense areas lacking resources.
Mindful Moment is an in-school program for students and staff that integrates yoga and mindfulness practices into the school day and provides a safe space for students. HLF staff instructors facilitate students, teachers, and staff in a yoga and mindfulness routine practiced at the start and end of the school day. Included in the Mindful Moment program is the Mindful Moment Room which is an oasis of calm that serves as a ‘cool down’ room for children who are upset, or otherwise disruptive in class. Students can self-refer to the Mindful Moment Room, or teachers may send distressed or disruptive students for individual assistance with emotional self-regulation.
The resources we contribute are facilitating mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation to help students recognize when they are slipping into unhealthy states of mind and give them tools to regain calm, balance, and perspective beyond the moment. These skills result in conflict resolution and violence prevention at school and in the community, as students gain self-control rather than react to situations in the short term or engage in retribution afterward. Long-term benefits include greater empathy and confidence, which leads to stronger interpersonal bonds and a greater sense of community.
Potential challenges that we foresee include establishing relationships with schools in the five U.S. cities that we’ve selected. Additionally, as we continue to grow, the need for additional staff to build programming and infrastructure for the Mindful Moment program becomes increasing challenging requiring additional financial resources to facilitate ongoing training, monitoring & evaluation.
Action Plan
Quarterly:
03/01/2023 We will continue to outreach in the five cities (with the help of the Foundation of Mindful Society) and confirm which locations we will be providing our Mindful Moment program
06/01/2023 We will begin recruitment and training of all staff members in the second quarter
09/30/2023 HLF will begin setting up Mindful Moment Rooms at each location, start the Mindful Moment program in all five cities, and begin initial evaluations and pre surveys
12/01/2023 – We will continue virtual training and virtual site visits in the fourth quarter
03/01/2024 – We will conduct in-person site visits and provide continued training
06/01/2024 – HLF will complete first year post evaluations by the end of this quarter
09/01/2024 – Second set of evaluations, the launch of year two of the program, and adding the Mindful Ambassador program to all schools
12/01/2024 – Virtual training, virtual site visits, and continue fundraising for year three
03/01/2025 – In person site visits
06/01/2025 – Final evaluation reporting out
Background
Stressful or traumatic events have been known to cause chronic and toxic stress, severe depression, anxiety, anger problems, impulsive behavior and more. The National Alliance on Mental Illness confirms approximately one in six youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, and 50 percent of mental illness begins by age 14. Over half, 53.1 percent, of all mental illness cases are Black, African American, or multiracial (“Mental Health by the Numbers.” NAMI, https://www.nami.org/mhstats) . The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reports that one in three children under the age of 18 have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience or ACEs, which leads to increased risk of a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifetime. (2018 data collection from HRSA’s National Survey of Children’s Health) .
Schools offer a unique opportunity for interventions aimed at helping youth access mental health services. Since 2007, the Holistic Life Foundation’s Mindful Moment program has trained 3,850 teachers and staff members to help approximately 45,600 students in 152 schools in the Baltimore City School District.
The Co-Founders, Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzalez have more than 20 years of experience teaching yoga, pranayama (practice of breath regulation) , and meditation internationally, while focusing mainly on their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. HLFs mission is to improve social, emotional, educational, and community outcomes in low-income, underserved communities by providing multi-faceted programming to empower Baltimore’s youth, families, and adults; with the vision of changing the culture of violence in Baltimore.
Progress Update
The Mindful Moment Program focuses on fostering emotional well-being through mindfulness and yoga practices in schools. It has made significant strides in implementing its initial project plan and achieving key milestones. The program implements a structured curriculum, designed by its co-founders, with mindfulness techniques specifically tailored for students, staff, and their families. Professional development has been conducted for educators, counselors, and support staff in schools in Denver, Chicago, and Milwaukee, ensuring the integration of mindfulness practices into daily routines.
The program has successfully integrated all three tiers of support to meet the diverse needs of students and staff. At the foundational level, Tier 1 approaches create a whole-school culture that promotes mindfulness through healthy classroom practices and the establishment of the Mindful Moment Rooms. These spaces provide students and staff with a calming environment where they can take a moment for self-regulation. As the program progresses, Tier 2 interventions offer targeted support to small groups of students who would benefit from additional mindfulness instruction. Lastly, Tier 3 provides individualized strategies for students requiring more specialized attention, focusing on emotional regulation and stress management to help them thrive both in and out of the classroom.
The Mindful Ambassadors program is thriving, with student ambassadors leading mindfulness practices and school-wide exercises during morning announcements. This peer-led initiative has expanded the program’s reach, while teachers and staff are increasingly incorporating mindfulness into their routines, enhancing their own well-being and supporting students.
The Mindful Moment Program has successfully fostered a culture of mindfulness and emotional well-being. Through a trauma-informed approach, it provides essential tools for managing stress, building resilience, and addressing teacher burnout. With ongoing, outcomes-based evaluations, the program is positioned for sustainable growth, aiming to establish a replicable, evidence-based model that supports mental health and well-being in schools for years to come.
Partnership Opportunities
HLF will need funding to hire and train 10 Mindful Moment facilitators, two staff members and a Director of Implementation. Our current funders for this program are the NoVo Foundation, Eagle and the Hawk Foundation, NLJ Harris Foundation, and Open Society Foundation. Additionally, HLF is looking into potential funders such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Ahmanson Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation, A. O. Smith Foundation, OneCause, PNC Foundation, and more.
HLF is also seeking partnerships with organizations or individuals with a need for our programming that can help us build relationships with school districts and communities in the 5 identified cities for this project.,HLF partnered with the Foundation for Mindful Society who connects non-profits to funders and point of contacts for the Mindful Moment initiative. Additionally, we have partnered with a research team to develop and share best practices through the evaluation of our programming. This project opens the door to new potential partnerships in the cities we seek to expand to and in the future can provide jobs for residents in the community.