Announcing a Major Initiative to Advance Teen Mental Health

Portland, Oregon - January, 2024

Peace in Schools, a Portland, Oregon, based nonprofit and national leader in mindfulness education, is launching a major initiative to advance teen mental health and wellbeing. The Mindful Studies Partnership Program, now in the pilot phase, aims to significantly expand access to Mindful Studies, the research-backed, for-credit mindfulness course developed by Peace in Schools in 2014.

“It’s a special moment for the field of mindfulness education” says Janice Martellucci, Peace in Schools Executive Director. “We’ve spent a decade proving Mindful Studies to be an essential resource for teens. For years schools, students, and parents have asked us to bring Mindful Studies to their communities. With this new initiative, we are taking the next step toward answering this call and realizing our goal to bring Mindful Studies to teens and high schools across the country.”

Mindful Studies, offered as both a semester and year-long for-credit course, equips teens with research-backed social-emotional tools for connection and compassion. Starting next fall, in addition to continuing their ten year partnership with Portland Public Schools, Peace in Schools will reach hundreds more students in new communities through the Mindful Studies Partnership Program.

Ten educators from seven high schools in Oregon and California have been selected to participate in the inaugural cohort: El Cerrito and New Technology High Schools in the California Bay Area, and West Linn, Wilsonville, Fir Ridge, Gresham and Northwest Academy High Schools in the Portland metro area. Over a three year partnership, Peace in Schools will support the implementation of the course as well as work with staff and parents to infuse mindfulness into the culture of the entire high school. 

“The Peace in Schools partnership has come at an essential time for our community” says Abhinav Dev, Principal of New Technology High School in Napa, CA. “Student social-emotional needs have increased tremendously over the past four years and we have been looking for an embedded class and curriculum to support those needs. The mindfulness curriculum developed by Peace in Schools will fill that gap.”

Phase one of the pilot is underway. Earlier this month, the ten participants attended a week-long, immersive mindfulness retreat to kick off the intensive teacher training phase of the program. This spring, students will be able to enroll in Mindful Studies and classes will begin at the new schools next fall. Outreach for the next cohort of the Mindful Studies Partnership Program will begin in fall of 2024.

In order to launch this new initiative, Peace in Schools is rallying a founding group of Visionary Investors, committed to advancing teen wellbeing through Mindful Studies. Peace in Schools set a goal to secure $4 million in pledges by June 2026. To date, 11 Visionary Investors have pledged a combined total of more than $1.9 million. 

"I am so inspired by the engagement we’ve already received, both from high schools as well as our Visionary Investors” says Martellucci. "There’s momentum building behind this vision. Imagine - a future where teens from across the country have access to a course in awareness, love and belonging as part of their high school education.”