Hi, my name is Nicole HR and I am a children’s service worker, supporting vulnerable young people affected by trauma. I have worked in this field in many different capacities, from secure facilities, residential, family support to education, for 10 years now. I have and still do, work with a high number of young people impacted by trauma and stress. These experiences on top of the normal teenage changes to mind and body can make for a difficult time in a teenage life.
I have been personally practicing yoga since I was in college and always found it very helpful, giving me a sense of peace and calm. In the last two years yoga asana and mindfulness have been a part of my daily life, along with regular meditation. Since I have brought yoga into my daily way of living I have had a much stronger calling to share this practice and the teaching I have learned, and have been seeking ways in which I can bring this into my work with young people. Yoga has so many benefits and when it is targeted specifically to a group to support their individual and group need the impact can go even further. It helps develop strength, flexibility and stamina getting teens active, but most importantly it promotes mental and emotional health. Yoga raises confidence, self-esteem, body image and self-worth. It can improve young people's motivation, focus and concentration helping with things like education and groups. It allows young people to gain awareness of their emotional responses and encourages self-management of behaviour. Yoga reduces tension, stress and anxiety which can also help with depression. Because I feel so strongly about the benefits late last year I sought out training in which I could safely and legitimately do this.
I am happy to say that by investing my own time and money I have now successfully completed my Teen Yoga Teacher Training with "Teen Yoga" which is accredited by the Independent Yoga Network and the Yoga Alliance. I am now ready and raring to teach yoga to teens and share the practice, teachings, beliefs and healthy living. I am keen to keep my target audience vulnerable young people as this is the area I have the strongest existing partnerships and I feel strongly that they are a group less likely to access mainstream opportunities.
What I mean by "vulnerable" is, supporting young people who are living in socially deprived areas, who are looked after, who are effected by child sexual exploitation, who are impacted by homelessness, who are in alternative to education provisions or groups such as LGBTI young people who we know are a group highly effected by poor mental health.
Although I am highly motivated and have been making links with young people and professionals promoting future sessions, the reality of funds has stopped this in its tracks.
The cost of resources such as mats, blocks and blankets is very expensive when you are buying bulk supply in order to run groups and not just one to one. I feel that teens gain a huge amount from yoga and even more so as part of a group. This experience of making links with peers, meeting likeminded teens and seeing progress as part of a group can be a huge boost in social emotional health. But I can't do this without these things and as I am an independent teacher, I do not qualify for local or national funding to buy these supplies. This is where the wonderful public come in....I need your help to make this amazing opportunity come to life. Once I have funds I can buy in the resources and begin offering sessions to groups of young people in Falkirk and Glasgow. These are the two main areas I am based in, have links in and would like to start off in. Every little helps so please help me make this dream a reality.
