A Creative Approach to Using Mindfulness With Youth

This webinar was hosted by YouthREX.

HERE’S HOW THE HOSTS DESCRIBE THIS WEBINAR:

Looking for innovative ways to support mental health, especially during this difficult time? Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can strengthen your work with young people.

Researchers studying MBIs have reported a multitude of benefits, including improved emotion regulation, mood, social competence, and resilience. Youth workers and other frontline practitioners have a unique contribution to make to the practice and study of MBIs: our approaches are holistic, creative, and strengths-based, and we aim to create change that moves beyond the individual, recognizing our interconnectedness and encouraging us to act to support our communities.

In this webinar, you’ll learn about:

• the personal and professional benefits of practicing mindfulness, including developing therapeutic presence and engaging people in enjoyable processes that foster inclusion and expression;
• a variety of arts-based mindfulness activities;
• how to facilitate/discuss the philosophy of mindfulness, including some of its concepts (self-compassion/non-judgement) and practices (mindful breathing/meditation);
• how to facilitate these concepts and practices by way of arts-based and experiential methods that are highly engaging and foster enjoyment and success.

Our special guests for this discussion, based in Sudbury, Ontario, have studied arts-based mindfulness and worked with children and youth, university students, youth and adults seeking mental health services, elementary school teachers, and women leaving abusive relationships:

• Dr. Diana Coholic, Professor, School of Social Work, Laurentian University
• Tricia Goeldner, Social Worker, Rainbow District School Board
• Amanda Hardy, Elementary School Teacher, Rainbow District School Board

Download the slide deck by clicking on the Webinar Resource button above.

Additional Resources:

• Toolkit: Mindfulness-Based Programs for Youth: A Toolkit for Youth Workers (YouthREX & HAP, 2020)
• Holistic Arts Based Program
• HAP 12-Session Outline
• HAP Activity Pages
• HAP Parent Brochure

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Categorised in: Webinar