Mindfulness is a meditation practice that begins with paying attention to breathing in order to focus on the here and now—not what might have been or what worries you have. The ultimate goal is to give you enough distance from disturbing thoughts and emotions to be able to observe them without immediately reacting to them. Teaching young girls the mindfulness meditation process helps give them time to quiet their mind and not feel overwhelmed with life. It helps them to gather their thoughts and make rational decisions.  

Positive Effects of Mindfulness include:

• increased sense of calm
• increased focus & concentration
• decreased stress & anxiety
• improved impulse control 
• increased self-awareness
• skillful responses to difficult emotions 
• increased empathy
• development of healthy conflict resolution 

As a mom of four girls and an educator, I feel the need to provide preteen girls with a program to help guide them through the tough and formative years of middle school.  Helping preteen girls learn how to handle stress, build their self-confidence, face peer pressure and new challenges, and make positive life choices so they can live up to their full potential has become my passion!  So I created a program to do just that! After piloting the program through our local recreation department, I realized just how strong the need to teach girls mindfulness tactics is.  That is how Girls Empowerment through Mindfulness, Inc. was born.  Mindfulness has become increasingly relevant and valuable amongst adults, but there are very few programs that develop and teach these habits for children, despite supporting research.   The GEM program gives young girls a “tool belt” of ideas to use when in stressful situations and provides girls with a strong group dynamic.