HILLSDALE, N.J.—Kids are strong, resilient, and very capable of standing up for themselves—they just need to be shown how to do it.
That’s according to Rosemarie D’Alessandro, founder of Joan’s Joy, who has spent years teaching children to stand up for themselves and for others in need.
Joan’s Joy, also called The Joan Angela D’Alessandro Foundation, is offering a new course that teaches teachers—who teach students, who then teach their families and friends—how to practice mindfulness: building confidence in kids to find their own voice and spread kindness organically.
D’Alessandro says in her course announcement, “My goal has been to arm kids with their own skills so they can stand up for themselves and prevent abuse of all kinds.”
She says, “I am inspired by some very articulate, strong, poised young people who have overcome abuse and bullying on their own terms. Some of these kids have been bullied to the degree they needed to be hospitalized. That broke my heart. I couldn’t let it go.”
She adds, “As I was talking with these youngsters, I realized they needed very tactical instruction with specific words. They needed coaching on how to develop those words into their own voice, be able to approach their bullies head on.”
D’Alessandro says one young student in particular inspired her:
“This poised young lady used kindness techniques and language to stand up for herself. It wasn’t easy but she persisted and it became easier. She got her life back. This kid amazed me at how far she has come having met her bullies face on and overcame the insidious abuse. This is what our program endeavors to instill.”
D’Alessandro says schools are a perfect place to embed this program, which was developed in partnership with yoga therapist Nancy Candea. Detailed lesson plans are provided to teachers, complete with specific vocabulary words and breathing practices that are easy to implement for teachers and students alike.
D’Alessandro says, “This is something so important, especially now with the pandemic. Our teachers are some of the most stressed individuals. They have been uprooted from their normal teaching methods and we need to help them too.”
D’Alessandro says research shows that 10 minutes of daily mindfulness breathing stimulates the prefrontal cortex, which improves learning and builds confidence with kids of all ages.
Indeed, she says, relaxation, mindful breathing, and visualization techniques are important today to moderate stress levels.
“We want to instill these practices now when they are young so they can proactively head off challenges, bullying, and abuse—and prevent it ever even happening in the first place,” she says.
The three-month course, funded fully by the Joan Angela D’Alessandro Memorial Foundation, is adaptable for all ages and grade levels.
D’Alessandro invites you to reach out to get your school or organization to get started today. Write hope@joansjoy.org. For more information visit http://joansjoy.org.