This year has been absolutely thrilling for Peace In Practice! We kicked off with boundless energy and have seen tremendous progress in our Youth Programming, Yoga Teacher Training certification, and administrative development. Plus, we've updated our strategic plan for the future!
Your kind and generous support has been so meaningful.
Here are the highlights of our year:
Youth Work
Impacted over 400 individual youth - with some kids receiving 30+ hours of direct service.
Northside Achievement Zone - our after school programming expanded to second location at Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club.
Strong Fast and Fit at YWCA - delivered youth programming for elementary to high school aged kids.
Homegrown Lacrosse Youth Summer Camp - delivered yoga workshops for grades 3-12.
North Community High School - provided yoga & mindfulness instruction to boys & girls basketball teams for the duration of the season
Healing-Centered 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training
Created a healing-centered, trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness professional training program.
Offered full scholarships to 28 students of color that covered professional training, textbooks, and yoga gear.
Certified nine new yoga / mindfulness teachers, and our second cohort will graduate in December.
Community Programming
Zen Bin and V3 Sports Center - we are collaborating to offer daily yoga & fitness classes in North Minneapolis.
Mississippi Park Connection - Provided yoga classes all summer at three locations along the river.
Wellness Wednesday - our weekly gathering and yoga practice in North Minneapolis has continued to grow our community.
Campfire, MN - we led two outdoor full day retreats for our students to get out in nature.
Led two outdoor Day Retreats at Campfire, MN
We’re growing!
Established a Board of Directors and elected Rich Melzer as board chair. He is the CEO of Youthlink and a former NBA player.
Launched our website and social media.
We’ve received grants from The Minneapolis Foundation, Give Back Yoga Foundation, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Youthprise, The Winters Group, and the Black Collective Fund.
Donations received from United Properties, Lululemon, and Hugger Mugger.
Thanks to the Americorp Vista Program we were able to bring on Bruce Williams as our Director of Content & Marketing.
What’s next?
We are working diligently to establish our first of its kind, concurrent enrollment program with local colleges in the Twin Cities. When established, we will provide exceptional Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Training to high school students, providing professional certification, college credit, and career readiness.
Expand youth programming to meet demand and provide more opportunities for our newly certified yoga instructors.
Offer 300 hour YTT certification - an advanced level-up training with Yoga Alliance to continue elevating our new teacher’s expertise.
Karuna Community - exploring collaboration to deliver yoga & mindfulness programming in correctional facilities, women’s shelters, and other institutions.
And numerous other exciting offerings to our community!
How To Support The Work
This giving season we’ve set an ambitious and necessary goal to raise $8,000 to support and expand our upcoming programming, dedicated staff, and impact.
We consider it an honor to humbly ask for your support in this work:
Donate - Every contribution, no matter the size will help us broadcast a message of connection and inclusivity within the yoga community, especially for those who have yet to find their place in the realm of integrative wellness. The button below links to our Give to the Max campaign!
Spread the Word - Our giving season campaign starts now. Our social channels are live - @peaceinpractice - Your likes, shares, posts, phone calls, and emails go a long way to shine a light on our work.
Volunteer - We are in build mode and looking for teachers, fundraisers, and capacity builders, who can help us advance this work. Please reach out if you have gifts to share and a passion for youth and interpersonal development in Black and Brown communities.