It is National Suicide Prevention Week. According to an article in the Minot Daily News, the suicide rate in North Dakota has increased by over 70% in the last 10 years – so let’s talk about an organization that wants to be a part of the conversation of a more open, well North Dakota.

Non-profit OpenMIND ND is focused on growing a mentally healthier North Dakota through education, support, and inspiration. OpenMIND believes that meditation and physical activity are key to treating depression – and, as such, are offering a workshop for parents and teachers who want to connect childhood mindfulness to improved mental health through decreased aggression and increased optimism and self-care.

In a partnership with Mindful You – Mindful Me, OpenMIND will cover 100% of the fees for any Ward County teachers and counselors that want to attend the one-day workshop “ESSENTIALS FOR RAISING RESILIENT KIDS + TEENS: GROWING UP MINDFUL”. OpenMIND will also pay for half of the fees for any parent or grandparent who signs up.

From the workshop flier (also found at the bottom of the page):

Solid scientific evidence suggests that mindfulness interventions improve attention, self-control, emotional resilience, recovery from addiction, memory, and immune response. In this workshop you will learn to compassionately guide youth towards greater balance and resilience with mindfulness practices.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm in Minot. Lunch will be provided. To sign up, click here.

Mindful You – Mindful Me is led by Heidi Demars, a mindfulness educator located in Bismarck. In a quote from the Mindful You – Mindful Me website, Liberty Elementary School’s counselor, Jonathan Wangen, said of Heidi:

“Bringing Mindfulness into schools is an important aspect of teaching kids about themselves, their emotions and how to be more self- reliant when it comes to coping skills. Our second graders did a session with Heidi that really helped them be more aware of their bodies and how to self-regulate due to that new awareness. Heidi did a great job in relating to our students the need to manage their stressors and feelings along with providing them with the skills to do so. I would highly recommend this skill building piece in any K-12 curriculum that deals with any social/emotional themes.”

Thank you OpenMIND and Mindful You – Mindful Me!

photo in header by Richard Jaimes