Can You Help Us Provide Yoga 4 Elkin Elementary School Students?
You have the power to provide yoga and meditation to over 500 school students, school administrators, and community members at Elkin Elementary School.
Please help us to continue to bring yoga and meditation to the children and staff at Lewis Elkin Elementary School.
Elkin Elementary School is located in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, an area that experiences a high level of drug and alcohol addiction, house and food insecurity, as well as effects of gun violence. Yoga 4 Philly wants to give all the students the ability to find joy and peace on their mats! With $20k, we could also help the school teachers, administrators, and parents (many of whom work 2 or 3 jobs) find peace, love, and healing - if even for just 45 minutes in their hectic day.
In the words of the great novelist and social critic, James Baldwin, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” Our investment today is often the very thing that helps create future dreams.
The power of our actions is that a child’s life can be launched with as little as a single phrase, an uplifting word, or an act of kindness. Think of the power we wield and the impact we can make when we are more intentional about encouraging our children.
Consider as an example, one of the successes that we are proud of. Brian has been having some behavioral challenges at home and in school. As a result, he has been practicing yoga and meditation with Steven on a weekly basis. At first, Brian had intense challenges with being still, but with patience and guidance, slowly but surely, Brian’s ability to be still has increased. Now, of course, he is a kid, so we do not expect Brian to always be well-behaved, but to know that the slow, steady impact that yoga and meditation are having on Brian is a reminder that what we as an organization and a community are seeking to do in the schools and homes are essential. It would melt your heart to hear Steven say, “let’s find a comfortable position” and then to hear Brian say, “and breathe.” We know that it takes a village to raise a child and we invite you to be a part of Brian’s village and others like him!
Teaching yoga to kids at Lewis Elkin Elementary School is a special experience. Having a room full of students enjoying yoga is a joy to behold. What may start out as a room full of energetic and skeptical 2nd graders, can end with all of the class sitting in silence with eyes closed and listening to sweet calm music. They learn to access stillness on their own within our framework. Many students come up to us at the end of class to express how much they appreciate the experience.
According to the Philadelphia School District data, 100% of the students attending Elkin Elementary are economically disadvantaged, which as studies shows, can have an impact on the mental, emotional, and academic well-being of students. Though 100% of the Elkin students live in households that experience financial disadvantage, their parents, teachers, and Y4P see 100% potential!
You have the power to provide yoga and meditation to over 500 school students, school administrators, and the community members at Elkin Elementary School.