We are excited to be partnering with The Jefferson County Library to offer a winter Mindful Self Compassion 8 week after school program on Wednesday afternoons!

The program is open for enrollment for 11-14 year olds from Jefferson County. Students will learn skills to find calm in stressful times and tools to navigate the ups and downs of life. The activities we use engage students in learning through mindfulness practices, games and art activities. Students become a supportive community through the 8 weeks of sharing and working together.

Students from last year’s program appreciated the skills they were learning. Here of some of the things they reflected on:
“I've learned how to really think about things more than I ever used to"”

"Now I feel like I have other people I can talk to who will support me"

"Now I have people I can think of when I'm going through something and know I'm not the only one"

Registration is open for the program! We have a pay-what-you-can policy designed to welcome anyone in the age range to sign up regardless of ability to pay.

Benji Project instructors Nancy and Steve are excited to be leading the program this season and look forward to connecting with this new group.

To find out more or register: https://www.thebenjiproject.org/after-school

For the first time, our team had the opportunity to bring Benji Project curriculum, games, and activities to the 6th graders at Chimacum School. We have been developing a partnership there for a number of years, and with strong support from the school counselor and two teachers, we got to spend a full class period with each of the two 6th grade classes for four weeks.

During our time together, we focused on four key themes drawn from the Mindful Self-Compassion curriculum:

Mindfulness
Self-Compassion
Common Humanity
Gratitude

We had a great time with these students, moving between discussion of topics like identifying our emotions or how to calm ourselves in times of stress or anxiety. We also played games like “Stop, Go, Fall” that involves tuning into the senses of sight and hearing to follow a moving group leader’s instructions and “Feelings Charades,” in which students jumped at the chance to act out emotions they pulled from our deck of feelings cards.

After the entire program was complete, the students had time to reflect on their experiences and share feedback with us. Here are some highlights!

Of all the practices we introduced students to, the top three that they learned and plan to use in the future were:

Paying attention to and naming how you're feeling in the moment.
Imagining there is a Compassionate Friend within you.
Thinking about the things you are grateful for.

Over 60% of students replied with a 3 or higher, out of a five-point scale, in response to “How much did these classes help you find your inner compassionate voice?”
More than 80% of students replied with a 3 or higher, out of a five-point scale, in response to “How much did you learn about tools for managing stress in your day to day life?” (with 1 being “not much” and 5 being “a lot”)

Quotes from students:

In response to the question, “What was one practice that you learned during The Benji Project sessions that you plan to use in the future?,” one student wrote, 🌳”Learning to be myself and not being how everyone else wants me to be.”🤨

When asked for any additional feedback they had for us, students shared:

I found more methods of staying happy.
I like all the strategies you guys use to help to calm ourselves!
I really enjoyed getting to do the Benji project because it was fun and I looked forward to it.

Next up: 6th grade at Blue Heron!

Winter Afterschool Program Coming Up!

The Benji Project goes to Chimacum 6th Grade!

The Benji Project