Mindful Mentors is a youth development program

designed to promote self-determination, self-regulation, self-awareness and self-worth in systems-involved youth, and to support these young people in pursuing careers as wellness practitioners.  We use a youth-centered, collaborative, and developmental approach which emphasizes fostering relationships first as a foundation for later skill-building.

We offer this program to Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC) clients in the San Francisco Bay Area.  This innovative partnership is geared toward girls and gender-expansive young people who are interested in pursuing a career in wellness. Mentees are paired 1-1 with specially trained, trauma-informed Mindful Mentors. Together, mentor and mentee co-create a plan for the youth to fully integrate wellness into their lifestyle, including exploring their own employment within the fields of wellness, healing, and art. As part of our collaboration, they often co-teach our mindfulness-based classes at YWFC.