In response to the youth mental health crisis that disproportionately affects historically and traditionally underserved communities, we are proposing to pilot an accessible nature-based summer program that helps youth begin the school year with a sense of belonging, confidence, and purpose. We aim to empower youth (12-14 year olds, largely BIPOC) through a strong grounding in nature and the four pillars of the Love No Ego Foundation: spirituality, exercise, education, and community. Through this program local youth will gain skills and strategies to persevere through everyday challenges and inspiration for personal growth and collective transformation. This pilot is meant to be a starting point for a larger-scale program toward the vision of an equitable, healthy, authentically connected, and compassionate Charlottesville. Beyond being aligned with Mind & Life’s mission of fostering healthy human connections and collective flourishing, funding this program would be a way for Mind & Life to give to its local community.
Implemented by:
The Love No Ego Foundation helps youth and young adults ages 10-24, go beyond egotistical pressures, and live with purpose.
