Marni Becker-Avin is the Executive Director of the Wuf Shanti Children’s Wellness Foundation, a nonprofit that teaches children the importance of mindfulness and social emotional learning. Her son, 15-year-old Adam Avin, is the Creator, personality, and commandment behind the organization. Marni and Adam both teach mindfulness and social-emotional learning to kids aged 3-17, the primary purpose behind the foundation.
Adam is also a mental health speaker and advocate, and has given his own TedxYouth Talk, “Mindfulness in Education to Lower Stress and Violence”.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- What prompted Adam Avin to get involved in mindfulness and emotional learning and start his foundation with his mom, Marni Becker-Avin
- Meet the Wuf Shanti character
- Marni talks about the uniqueness of the Wuf Shanti curriculum
- Truisms and mindfulness lessons Adam learned from his grandfather
- The link between teaching mindfulness in schools and lowering self-harm and harm to others
- Adam and Marni talk about what they see as the root of mental health issues
- How Marni and Adam go to schools to set up the Kids’ Association for Mindfulness in Education
- Marni talks about how they get funding for their foundation
- Where the Wuf Shanti Children’s Wellness Foundation is hoping to be in the future
In this episode…
Kids today are going through a lot of stress and anxiety. From social media and gaming addictions to social peer pressure, kids end up experiencing a significant amount of mental stress. This phenomenon is partially why suicides among teens have risen in the past few years.
But, Marni Becker-Avin and her son, Adam Avin, are working hard to nip the problem in the bud by teaching mindfulness and social emotional learning to kids from preschool and through high school.
In this episode of the Philanthropy212 podcast with host Penny Cowden, you’ll hear from Marni Becker-Avin and Adam Avin of the Wuf Shanti Children’s Wellness Foundation. They talk about their work in spreading mindfulness and social emotional learning to schools, the importance behind the work they do, and some of their processes for teaching mindfulness to kids aged 3-17.
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Resources Mentioned in this episode
- Wuf Shanti Children’s Wellness Foundation
- Mindful Kids Peace Summit
- The Kids’ Association for Mindfulness in Education
- Marni Becker-Avin on LinkedIn
- Adam Avin on LinkedIn
- Adam Avin’s TEDx Talk: “Mindfulness in Education to Lower Stress and Violence”
- Philanthropy212
- Penny Cowden on LinkedIn
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by Philanthropy212, a fundraising consulting company focused on helping not-for-profit organizations build sustainable practices and programs that raise more than just money.
Philanthropy212’s founder, Penny Cowden, has 25 years of experience in the industry and has helped raise more than $100 million for non-profits such as PeaceHealth, Sisters of Charity, Inova Health System, Banner Health System, and Sun Health.