Teaching Mindfulness to Youth – VIDEOS
On April 11, 2014, members of the community and pioneers in the field came together to explore the information, skills, and personal development necessary for mindfulness practitioners wanting to enter – or expand – their work in schools and community youth organizations. The program included discussion panels, experiential skill building exercises, networking and exploration of resources for sharing meditation with young people. See FYI/Youth Videos below.
What arose from our time together was a clear desire for further exploration, particularly on the topic of diversity. In that light, we will host Teaching Mindfulness to Youth: A Diverse Exploration in San Francisco on Saturday October 18th. We are still in the planning stages, but stay tuned to norcal.shambhala.org for more details.
The presenters were:
Jessica Morey, BA is the Executive Director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme). She began practicing mindfulness meditation at age 14 on teen retreats offered by the Insight Meditation Society (IMS). She is now a founding board member and lead teacher for iBme teen retreats.
Ida Oberman, PhD is the Executive Director of Community School for Creative Education, the country’s first urban multi cultural Waldorf inspired charter. Her personal meditation practice is rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, Dutch Reform Theology and Anthroposophy.
Meena Srinivasan, MA is part of the Social Emotional Learning & Leadership Team for the Oakland Unified School District. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and was a leader in India’s Mindfulness in Education Movement. She has taught mindfulness to 6th through 12th graders in Brazil, India, and California.
John Rettger, PhD is the Director of Mindfulness Program for the Stanford University Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program. He has trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and has taught mindfulness in a variety of settings. He also teaches yoga.
Sam Himelstein, PhD is the Program Director of the Mind Body Awareness Program. He is passionate about working with young people involved in the juvenile justice system and speaks nationally and internationally on topics related to working clinically with youth.
Amy Saltzman, MD is the Director of The Still Quiet Place. She has offered mindfulness to young people from pre-K to college undergrads in socioeconomically diverse school, and community settings as well as conducted two research studies.
Gale Young, PhD is Professor Emerita and Chair of the Communications Department at Cal State East Bay. She is a student of intercultural relations, difficult dialogues, and reconciliation.
Rees Sweeney-Taylor is the Program Director for SquashDrive. He works directly with youth cultivating awareness and confidence. He also is a student of Shambhala Buddhism and works teaching mindfulness and meditation to people of all ages.
Nicole Abaté Ducarroz, Sonoma Valley Unified School District School Board member since 2004, Waldorf Charter School founding board member, mother of 3: Nikita (17), Jonas (15), Julien (10), wife to Jean-Francois, retired software engineer.
FYI/Youth Videos
Session 1: What is already happening in this field?
Session 2: How can we start to get involved?
Session 3: History and Context with Amy Saltzman/ Contemplations with Gale Young
Session 4: Trainings and Resources available
Session 5: Experiential Activities with Meena Srinivasan and John Rettger
Session 6: Working with Diverse Populations
Panelists from Left to right: Maha Jacobs – Lecturer at California State University East Bay in the Public Relations and Communications Department • Syra Smith – Instructor, Mind Body Awareness Project • Gale Young, Ph.D – Professor and Chair Communications Department, California State University, East Bay • Meena Srinivasan, M.A. – Social Emotional Learning and Educational Leadership, Oakland Unified School District • Roger Miller – Executive Director, Mind Body Awareness Project • Joanne Martin Braun, Ph.D – Regional Director, Northern California Shambhala
Teaching Mindfulness to Youth – a Diverse Exploration
On October 18, 2014, Bay Area luminaries again came together for a one day workshop to deepen the wisdom and skills necessary for teaching mindfulness and compassion to diverse populations of youth. They explored what it means to create an inclusive culture and what it will take to get us there. The program was designed for teachers, trainers, and other people currently teaching, or interested in teaching, mindfulness and compassion programs to youth. The program was a great success and below are some video presentations from the event.
