Mindfulness 101 for Teens
Winter 2019
taught by Ann Hollar, M. Ed
Course Description
Are you overwhelmed with keeping up socially online and off? Stressed about homework? Caught up in negative thinking? In this six-week course, we will touch on many aspects of mindfulness that can help teens navigate the exciting and complex high school years. This course is intended for high school aged teenagers (14-19 years old). Class size will range between 10 and 20 students.
Course Details
Each class will begin with a short meditation practice. Then we’ll do group activities, games, discussions, journal reflections and “in-the-moment” practices to better understand: what it means to be present; how we get lost in thoughts; how we can better understand and be with strong emotions; and how to pull in gratitude, kindness, and compassion. We will end each class with a longer meditation practice – a breathing practice, body scan, or loving-kindness meditation. The topics for each week include:
Week 1: Presence and Listening - Understanding the basics
Week 2: Home Sweet Home - Creating a sense of ease within ourselves
Week 3: Driven to Distraction - Learning how to focus attention
Week 4: Making Sense of Your Senses - Slowing down and noticing
Week 5: Riding the Storm - Being with, not thrown, by strong emotions
Week 6: Giving Thanks - The power of gratitude and kindness
What Past Participants Say
During end-of-class surveys, participants shared that the skills learned in the course helped them to:
· calm down when upset or stressed
· be better listeners
· make better decisions
· avoid fights or arguments
"Mindfulness helps me focus and relax at the same time. The class was great since it was all high school students with the same pressures of homework, tests, and friends. The lessons and meditation help me find calm and step back to see the bigger picture."
"Mindfulness has helped me put more effort into trying to discern what is real vs. imagined."
"Bad grade on a quiz - I acknowledged sadness but didn't let it hold me back. Missed a shot in soccer - moved past it and scored."
“Being aware of your thoughts is beneficial and very helpful”
"I use at least one thing I learned in the mindfulness class every day, and it's been very helpful to keep my mind organized and keep myself centered. The breathing exercises help me relax in stressful situations.""I learned how to listen to others way better (friends, family, teachers). The breathing exercise also helps me fall asleep.""If I just focus on one thing at a time I am better off."
"I was pretty upset going to a class at school, and I used mindful walking to calm down." "Ann's class made learning about mediation not only relatable but also enjoyable. I looked forward to going to her class as well as employing her methods in circumstances that I normally would have been unsure of what to do in. Working with Ann was a pleasure, and I look forward to continuing the use of mediation in stressful and foreign circumstances. Thank you Ann!"
A Note to Parents
We understand that parents are eager to help their children build skills for well-being and success. This course is only useful for teens if they are 100% on board with participating. Thus, before enrolling a participant, we strongly encourage parents to talk with teens to ensure they have read the course description and truly want to participate.
Additionally, we are unable to welcome teenagers who are not in high school. We apologize for this limitation; however, we have learned that all participants feel more comfortable and benefit the most when they are in the same age bracket.
Course Fees and Information
$190 registration fee.
Financial Assistance: If you are interested in financial assistance, CCFW offers a limited number of scholarships per course. To apply for a scholarship, please review criteria and complete the application form at https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/mindful/304378
Important note: Scholarship applicants will be notified 3 weeks prior to the first day of class, please submit applications before then! Applicants should wait to register for the course until a decision has been made in order to qualify. If you have any questions, please contact ccfwb@uw.edu
Cancellation Policy - Please Review
***20% of class registration fees are non-refundable***
Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your registration. Please review our cancellation deadlines below.
Cancellation two weeks before class start: 80% refund
Cancellation within two weeks of class start: 50% refund
Cancellations after class start: No refunds guaranteed after the start of the course.
Pay it Forward - Support the Scholarship Fund
If you are able to pay more for the course, we encourage you to consider donating to the Mindfulness Outreach Fund which allows CCFW to offer 50% and 100% scholarships to community members to aid in the cost of registration fees for mindfulness courses. Scholarships are awarded to increase accessibility of mindfulness and compassion training for individuals who have limited resources to obtain such training and to those who work in communities experiencing adversity. To make a donation to the scholarship fund, please visit http://giving.uw.edu/mindfulness
About the Instructor
Ann Hollar is a mindfulness instructor in Seattle. She has an M. Ed from the University of Washington, focusing her thesis on “Mindfulness in Education: The Secular Intersection of Buddhism and Neuroscience.” She currently teaches mindfulness to students in both public and private elementary, middle and high schools. She has been trained in both the MindUp and Mindful Schools curricula and has recently completed Mindful Schools Year-Long Instructor Certification Program. Her personal integration of mindfulness is constantly being kept alive via interactions with her three tween and teenaged boys.
Quotes from parents:
"Thank you for creating a safe, nurturing space for our children to establish their own practice of mindfulness and appreciation. Through your course, we saw a gentle shift as our kids practiced noticing their thoughts, focusing their attention, and expanding their capacity for gratitude. Having "homework" helped them naturally establish a practice that carried over long after your classes were complete. Thank you for laying the groundwork for a practice that can help them through the inevitable stress of adolescence and beyond."
"Our daughter loved learning ways to relax and de-stress from Ann. She creates a safe, compassionate community where our daughter found inner peace."
"Students are experiencing higher levels of stress and Ann's class offers strategies and alternatives which allow them to feel less anxious, more balanced and more capable of managing the stress."
Privacy Policy
The personal information you submit to the Center for Child & Family Well-Being will not be shared, sold, or disclosed to third parties in any form, for any purpose, at any time without your authorization.
Contact Information
Marcellina DesChamps
Associate Director of Programs
Center for Child & Family Well-Being
Office: 206.221.8508
Email: ccfwb@uw.edu