Y.O.G.A. for Youth North Carolina
Y.O.G.A. for Youth North Carolina has been a satellite branch of Y.O.G.A., Inc. for thirteen years, reaching over 6,000 young people through programming in schools, community centers, and collaborations with other nonprofits in Durham, Orange, Wake, Chatham and Buncombe counties. Some notable partnerships and programming include:
- Training key administrators and selected school teachers in the 40-hour Y.O.G.A. for Youth Teacher Training so that they can Integrate short daily “yoga moments”
into classrooms. - Weekly 1-hour classes by 200-hour Y.O.G.A. for Youth teachers for elementary and middle school students integrated into the academic curriculum.
- After-school programming in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County School districts.
- Justice Theater Project Summer Camps in Raleigh and Durham.
- Durham Crisis Response Center’s Latina Support Group – classes for mothers and children.
- Y.O.G.A. for Youth-NC is on the Artists Roster for CAPS – Creative Artists in the Public and Private Schools. The CAPS program is run by the Durham Arts Council, and brings artists to schools for workshops and residencies. Y.O.G.A. for Youth-NC residencies have been hosted by many schools in the Durham area, including Sandy Creek Elementary, Bethesda Elementary, and Club Elementary.
- In 2019, Yoga for Youth began a partnership with R.N. Harris Elementary School in Durham. R.N. Harris is a Title I school in the Durham Public School system, where 99% of its students receive either free or reduced lunch. Five R.N. Harris Elementary teachers were trained through the 40 hour immersive Y.O.G.A. for Youth Teacher Training in order to offer daily yoga moments to their students in the classroom. At the same time, 200-hour Y.O.G.A. for Youth teachers taught weekly yoga classes for Kindergarten, 1st and 5th graders. Y.O.G.A. for Youth and R.N. Harris faculty, staff and students are committed to expanding the yoga and mindfulness program to the entire school.
If you or your organization would like to partner with us, let us know. Email: keval@yogaforyouth.org
“Mindfulness in Human Development” Project
Since 2014, Y.O.G.A. for Youth NC has worked with Duke and UNC-CH faculty members, students, and community educational partners to analyze the effects of the Y.O.G.A. for Youth curriculum on after school students’ mindfulness, emotional regulation, self-esteem, stress response, resilience, physical health, academic performance, social behavior, and body image through the research project entitled “Mindfulness in Human Development”.