Mindfulness for Foster Homes

We are a Nonprofit Organization dedicated to improving the mental health of the community.

Overview

Foster homes serve as a protective form of housing for our nation’s most vulnerable children. These children often experience extreme stress, trauma, and difficulty in their personal lives in addition to every day continued difficult experiences that they have during their time in foster care. During this sensitive time period in a child’s development, it is even more essential to put in place protective measures. By implementing a mindfulness-based preventative measure with the YOG Foundation, children in foster homes can improve both their mental and physical health so that they can increase their resiliency and overcome any difficulties they may face.

A Vision for a More Mindful Future

As of 2019, over 672,000 children were in foster care for stints ranging from a few days to years. Given the significant amount of time that many children stay in foster care and the trauma that this experience can have for them, it is imperative that these children are provided with sufficient support for their mental, emotional, and physical needs. Many children in foster care experience PTSD at comparable levels to war veterans, signifying the immense mental pressure that this experience can have. Additionally, these experiences are occurring during a highly sensitive developmental time period, which can potentially have lasting impacts on these children’s outcomes later in life.

If you are a foster home, then click here…

Goals

Objectives

Today – Without Mindfulness

80% of children in foster care have mental health issues compared to only 22% in the general population
Around 50% of children in foster care have chronic physical health issues
In 2017 alone, 9 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect
Children in foster care have a rate of PTSD 5 times higher than the general population
Around 4% of children struggle with alcohol and drug dependence
Foster care alumni have 2 times higher levels of generalized anxiety than the general population
15.3% of foster care children have experienced a Major Depressive Episode
50% of children in foster care will never graduate from high school

Tomorrow – With Mindfulness

A 12-week yoga intervention led to a significant boost in immunity, preventing infection from disease and reducing chronic health issues
21% decrease in anger, indicating a possible reduction in violent incidents
23% decrease in domestic violence, potentially reducing future issues
50% decrease in symptoms of PTSD and improved ability to cope with trauma
12% decrease in addiction relapse
43% decrease in depression and suicide
79% decrease in insomnia
Can increase attention, concentration, and focus, thereby improving academic performance and potentially reducing the high school dropout rate

Change the community

The YOG Foundation Implements Mindful Yoga & Mindful Meditation Sessions Across Various Foster Homes

As children in foster homes are put under extreme stress in this critical time of their lives, it is not surprising that they struggle with so many mental and physical health issues. But by implementing a mindfulness program with the YOG Foundation, it can significantly reduce the rates of these issues in foster care children, thereby improving their lives both during their time in the home and afterward as well.

The Benefits of Mindfulness for Foster Homes

A recent study in 2015 directly investigated the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based stress reduction technique to assist traumatized youth in foster care.

This study found that after a 10-week intervention, the children in foster care reported improved levels of:

Therefore, mindfulness and yoga programs for youth in foster care have the potential to significantly assist children both mentally and physically, helping them to improve their mental health and have better long-term outcomes.