As we approach the end of 2018, our team is taking some time to reflect on the impact we have made this year, thanks to your support.
We were so thrilled to have launched an innovative new training for school staff—called Building Blocks for Resilience—which reached close to 50 educators from schools across Toronto. The goal of the training is to support classroom teachers in developing mindfulness-based tools for their own well-being as well as tools to support their students mental, emotional and physical health. We’re excited to continue to offer more trainings in 2019 with the support of the McCall MacBain Foundation and Sporos Foundation!
We also revamped our Reaching In, Reaching Out online training for yoga and mindfulness teachers who want to create yoga-based programs for youth. In our October 2018 relaunch, we saw 50 participants from across Canada and around the globe taking part. This training shares the best practices New Leaf has developed over 12 years, helping to equip others to offer yoga-based programs beyond the scope of New Leaf’s initiatives.
In the spring of 2018 we hosted our most successful gala yet, with over 300 guests and raising $65,000 for our programs. The dedication of our gala committee, Board, staff team and volunteers never fails to amaze me. Thank you to all our sponsors who made this event possible, particularly our lead sponsors NLI Solutions and The Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University.
We also continue to run 30 programs across southern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, supporting young people in elementary and secondary schools, custody facilities and through our community-based drop in programs. Our goal is to support youth in feeling empowered, respected and valued, and to provide them with tools that help them to take care of themselves and make choices in how they respond to their lives. I’d like to take a moment to thank the amazing champions at each of our program sites—these are the staff people who advocate for our program, educate their peers and support our program facilitators and the young people we serve day in and day out. Without them, we truly couldn’t do what we do. Thank you also to our amazing facilitators, the youth who inspire us daily, and to our wonderful staff team.
Here’s to a peaceful holiday season and happiest new year!
Laura
(Executive Director)