Thriving Black Educators & Students via Mindfulness, SEL, Yoga
I need help building student agency, sense of belonging, and overall wellness outcomes for black students in a historically underfunded elementary school.
$5,923 goal
This project expired on October 15, 2025.
This project expired on October 15, 2025.
My Project
Black students represent 22% of all OUSD students but 57% of all suspended students, and the 33% of Black students with Special Education Individualized Education Plans (“IEP’s”) who are nine times more likely to be suspended than other students. OUSD seeks to take immediate action to stop and repair the harm to Black children and families caused by decades of structural racism and also by the differential impact of COVID-19 on Black communities. The Black Thriving School Initiative is one of the actions named by the Reparations for Black Students Board Policy and I am a lead teacher‑organizer at one of 11 schools that has been designated as a Black Thriving School.
The Black Thriving Indicators help schools set goals and measure success.
The focus of this projects is Physical and Emotional Health which measures the physical and emotional well-being of Black students and the degree to which they are able to access essential systems of support. With your help I will enroll in Breathe For Change’s 200‑Hour Online/Virtual Wellness and Yoga Teacher Training for Educators and will design and implement a 6‑week healing informed "Mindful Mornings" program for Black students, incorporating yoga, breathwork, and culturally responsive SEL lessons. In addition, I will facilitate professional‑development workshops to share wellness practices with 35 colleagues, multiplying impact across classrooms. This two-pronged approach will ensure that the adult learners walk the self-care walk and are able to facilitate lessons in their individual classrooms.
I seek $4,930 to fully fund the 200‑hour Mindfulness, Social‑Emotional Learning (SEL), and Yoga Teacher Training tuition.
Investing in my wellness and yoga teacher training is a catalytic strategy for elevating black educator well‑being and advancing holistic success for Black students. With your support, our community will cultivate classrooms where every Black child thrives—healthy, affirmed, empowered, and academically prepared.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Never Before Funded220 students impacted
Boost your odds
Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.
You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Black and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
