Every youth deserves to experience peace.
Bombarded by countless pressures, stimulation, and expectations, this isn’t easy to achieve.
And the impacts of chronic stress on young people—particularly those who have been marginalized and denied equitable access to resources—must be a focus in conversations around mental health.
In 2021, New Leaf conducted a survey with close to 200 young people who shared a holistic vision of wellness that included physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual factors. Participants emphasized the importance of inclusion as a touchstone for wellness and shared that a lack of access to resources is one of the biggest barriers to their well-being.
Our biggest takeaway? Young people know what they need for a sense of peace and wellness for themselves and their communities. It’s up to all of us to listen.
You can help us make wellness programming available to more youth.
New Leaf Foundation has been sharing mindfulness-based initiatives in schools, custody facilities and in partnership with other youth-serving organizations since 2007. We’ve seen firsthand how programming that uses meditative practices, and centers around the resilience and strengths young people possess, can provide the sense of agency and empowerment that opens doors to new possibilities.
Here’s how you can support our work:
- Watch our new video
- Share the video on your social media
- Become a community changemaker by joining our Better Together campaign
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