An Evening of Hope, Healing, and Human Connection
Experiencing Mindfulness with Peace in Schools
Last Thursday, our community came together at The Village Ballroom in NE Portland for our experiential event—Discover Lion Mind. The room was alive with curiosity and connection as friends, teachers, teens, and supporters gathered to experience firsthand what happens when young people are given the tools to thrive.
Before taking their seats, guests mingled, admired teen artwork, and engaged with three interactive stations—drawing the animal they’d be, writing a self-reassurance, or offering advice to their teenage selves.
“I came tonight because I'm really interested in seeing the work in action."
Experiencing the Curriculum: Dog Mind/Lion Mind
The first half of the evening immersed guests in a lesson from the Peace in Schools Mindful Studies curriculum—Dog Mind/Lion Mind. Mindfulness teachers and mentors Hilda Cruz Guiao and Cassandra Moore led the exercise using a small stick to illustrate how our minds react. “Imagine this little wooden stick is a bone, and right here in the middle of our entryway is a dog,” they said, gesturing toward the aisle. “I take this stick and toss it over there... What do you think that dog is going to do? Chase after the bone, right?” Heads nodded in agreement.
Hilda then painted a different picture: a lion in the room. “What’s the lion going to do?” Someone shouted, “They’ll eat you!” The room rippled in light laughter. “The lion doesn’t care about that one bone.”
In this lesson, the stick represents a challenging emotion—anger, anxiety, sadness. The dog mind focuses on that single bone. The lion mind, however, sees the whole landscape—the 206 bones—holding space for a wider awareness, choice, and calm. The room buzzed with thoughtful energy. One older gentleman reflected that chasing just one bone can lead to suffering. A woman added that learning these tools now is more vital than ever, saying, “We need this in terms of consciousness in our world right now.”
These heavy truths were shared with hopeful voices—and that set the tone for the evening: possibility, curiosity, and care. Many attendees came looking for ways to better support the teens in their lives, and themselves. "I’m trying to get ideas of how to use this in my own household,” said Cary, a mother of a teen. Rita, a former educator and school volunteer, shared, “I’d really like to see this taught in schools... what I’m seeing while volunteering is a disturbing lack of ability to focus, to listen, to be aware of their breath, of their body."
Real Teen Voices: A Powerful Panel
The second half of the evening featured a thoughtful, heartfelt panel of five teens and their Mindfulness teachers. They explored questions about what mindfulness means to them and how it’s impacted their lives.
Briah, a senior at Grant High School, reflected on Dog Mind/Lion Mind:
“Over this past year it’s helped me to learn not to be reactive and to think of my decisions before I act on them—think of the outcome and how it’ll affect myself and others.”
Other teens spoke about using mindfulness to manage panic attacks, improve their relationships, and lower their stress in school. When the room opened for questions, it was clear: people were deeply moved and eager to learn how they could better show up for young people.
Marin, a senior at McDaniel High School, reminded adults of something easy to forget:
“I wish adults here [tonight] remember how confusing it was... trying to figure out more about yourself and also what you wanna do and making all these big decisions.”
Simon, also a senior at McDaniel High School, echoed the pressure teens face today:
“You can’t find someone who hasn’t been through a heavy amount of stress or like mental problems.”
And Max, a senior at Grant, offered a simple but powerful ask:
“Take your time out of your day to listen and show that you care—whether it’s time or talking or really getting into deep conversations.”
"I'm like really grateful for [this class] and if it's not here next year, I feel, that it would be really disappointing for the upcoming classes...this is something we all need."
The Feeling in the Room
Throughout the night, moments landed deeply—like when the audience audibly exhaled as a teen described their Mindful Studies class as a safe space, or when everyone snapped in agreement as one student shared the ripple effect of their mindful choices: “When someone sees how you are, they feed off that—and now my friends [aren’t] so reactive.”
As the night wound down, guests lingered in conversation, swapping reflections and contact info. There was an undeniable sense of connection and momentum—like something real and necessary had just begun.
In a time when so many are searching for ways to care for themselves and the next generation, this night offered a powerful reminder: with the right tools, supportive adults, and intentional spaces to connect, healing and growth aren’t only possible—they’re already happening.
Thank you to everyone who joined us—we can’t wait to do it again.
