At this month’s Mindfulness Toronto Community Meeting, New Leaf’s co-founder and executive director, Laura Sygrove, will discuss the organization’s approach, their work within several TDSB schools, how this fits into their overall mandate, and the impact that their programming is having with youth in educational settings.
New Leaf Yoga Foundation has been offering yoga-based life-skills programs to youth in Ontario for the past 7 years. The organization works specifically with young people in some of the least-served communities and facilities. Believing in the strength and resiliency of youth and drawing on their capacity to heal and thrive, yoga offers tools for cultivating self-awareness, emotional resiliency, the ability to respond rather than react, and the opportunity to tap into a sense of personal empowerment. NewLeaf offers integrated, long-term support through their schools programs, youth justice programs and community-based drop-in programs. All classes are taught in a trauma-sensitive and inclusive approach.