EMPOWERED MINDS

Description

Empowered Minds (formerly Yoga Kidz) is a nonprofit serving Title I schools in downtown Charleston since 2008. From 2008 to 2019 we served students and staff by offering weekly yoga and mindfulness classes. Our primary partner schools have been in downtown Charleston.

Although the initial intention for yoga classes behind our offering was to fill the gap in physical activity, we soon saw a shift as educators began to understand the need to support children’s social and emotional skills. Over the past decade there has been an increase in social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. Schools are seeing an increase in stress levels in schools that are impacting academic readiness, emotional regulation, social interactions and overall health. Yoga and mindfulness not only give children the opportunity for purposeful movement, they directly teach skills and tools to support childrens’ emotional and mental well-being.