Peace in Schools Reaches More Teens in California and Oregon
Teen Programs Manager, Stephanie Edman, leads a mindful minute for students at El Cerrito High School in Oakland, CA.
Peace in Schools is bringing mindfulness to seven new high schools this year!
Through our Mindful Studies Partnership Program, these new high school partners, located in Oregon and the California Bay Area, will offer Mindful Studies as an elective course next fall. In preparation for the launch, our Peace in Schools Teachers visited these new partner high schools to facilitate demonstrations of our groundbreaking class. The demonstrations were offered to teens and staff during the school day and aimed to create an insightful space to experience an introduction to mindfulness. Through discussion and guided practice, students got a first-hand experience of the Mindful Studies class.
Jamal Pearce, the Partnership Program Manager at Peace in Schools, shared “The connections we formed with both the staff and students were truly heartwarming to witness.”
During a visit to El Cerrito High School in Oakland, CA, Teen Programs Manager Stephanie Edman provided Mindful Studies demonstrations for approximately 180 10th and 11th graders and over 50 staff. These new partnerships come at time when hardship and mental health crisis among teens are at an all time high.
Peace in Schools staff (Center left: Mindfulness Teacher & Program Coordinator II - Hilda Cruz Guiao. Center right: Partnership Program Manager - Jamal Pearce) and school partners preparing for a mindfulness demonstration for students at New Tech High School in Napa, CA.
“Stephanie initiated a mindful minute before each meeting, which noticeably brought a new sense of calm to the room - a gesture that was particularly appreciated as the school was coping with the loss of a student the day before our visit” says Pearce.
Since the fall, Peace in Schools provided mindfulness demonstrations to 530 teens and 347 staff.
“The demonstrations have been so well received that some schools are implementing more Mindful Studies classes than originally anticipated,” says Pearce.
Outreach for the second cohort of the Mindful Studies Partnership Program is underway. Peace in Schools looks forward to inviting ten new Oregon, Washington, and California schools into the program which starts the fall of 2025.
To learn more and find out how to partner with Peace in Schools, visit our Mindful Studies Partnership Program page.