The Mind Body Awareness Project
111 Fairmount Avenue, Suite 508
Oakland, CA 94611
Website: mbaproject.org
Description of Organization
At The Mind Body Awareness Project (MBA), the core purpose is to inspire and awaken the intrinsic value of young people. This is accomplished through groundbreaking, mindfulness-based direct service work that empowers youth with the tools and competencies to overcome trauma, transform negative behaviors, and find real freedom from the inside. MBA’s curriculum provides at-risk youth with concrete tools to reduce stress, impulsivity and violent behavior and increase self-esteem, self-regulation and overall well-being. MBA’s classes are based upon a proprietary synthesis from best practices in meditation, movement arts, group-process modalities, peer counseling, and social and emotional learning models. Their goal is to give at-risk youth access to transformational tools and competencies in a language and through metaphors relevant to their contemporary urban experience.
MBA is at the cutting edge of developing evidence-based mental training-driven rehabilitation interventions in youth vernacular: training that is relevant to young lives.
Grant(s) Awarded
In 2011, a grant in the amount of $10,000 was awarded to fund the development of a new MBA website that will significantly enhance 1) MBA’s online, snail mail, and event fundraising capabilities; 2) MBA’s ability to generate fee-for-service revenue via online and in-person trainings; 3) MBA’s ability to publish “mindfulness and youth” curriculum materials and lesson plans online in multiple formats and receive donation-based support from users for these materials; and 4) MBA’s ability to galvanize grassroots support for mindfulness and youth programming nationally.
In 2010, a grant in the amount of $2,500 was awarded to cover the Lenz Foundation’s Soul of Money Institute (SOMI) conference registration fees and travel expenses.