February 2024 Greetings, Fostering Meditation, Subscribers: Happy New Year! I trust that each of you are well. Here I go again with another monthly round of newsletters on my revolutionary work teaching meditation and yoga to the underserved and foster care world. This past month marks four years since I started FM -- what a journey it has been! Between guiding 3-year-olds to 75-year-olds in meditation and yoga, to speaking at conferences around the country, to all the media opportunities -- the past few years are truly only a preview of what's to come! The other night as I was meditating, I began reflecting on how Fostering Meditation came from my traumatic childhood in Foster Care. Even now, as I work through my personal traumas, anxieties, lonelinesses, and even regrets from my time in the system, (memoir coming soon!), I find daily hope in my students who are all the beneficiaries of FM, and how they are continuously learning, growing, and healing because of my dedication to the work. This hope continues to be my North Star through my journey of healing, growing, teaching, leading, and inspiring. I would also be remiss if I didn't thank all of my supporters who have remained by my side, even when I have veered off course and erred, but who nevertheless still see a leader worth supporting. From my two sabbaticals to India, to the various partnerships between organizations, schools, and businesses, to all of my GoFund Me's -- your support, belief, and generosity is greatly appreciated and is making a life-changing difference in so many lives-- including my very own. So, Thank YOU. Now, let's get back to work for there is much of it for us to do! In Service, Demetrius T. Napolitano CEO / FOUNDER |
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Creating our 2nd Wellness Room for Autistic Children |
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I mentioned in a previous post how the vision to create another Wellness Room came to me one morning as the children part of P.S. 138 (the small specialized school that sits adjacent to our main school, P.S. 108), began entering the school building, and one small girl began having a crisis moment as she threw herself down on the hard floor and began screaming and yelling. The staff tried their best to calm her down before picking her up and bringing the girl upstairs to their school. I could hear her crying from two flights down, and it was then, as I was preparing to teach inside of my meditation room, I thought why doesn't FM create another Wellness Space for P.S 138? If anything, those children probably need a Meditation Room more than the students I work with. I then worked extremely hard and found a grantor by the name of World Connect that agreed to grant funds to FM so we could build this separate Meditation Room for P.S. 138. When I say every time I see those kiddos, especially when I see a few who are having a bad day, alongside their teachers who appear to also be having a challenging moment, I'm reminded how important it is to build them all a Wellness Space to re-center, relax, & rejuvenate. We have finally started clearing out the locker room, and will begin construction, painting, and re-designing the space this upcoming week! I am now reaching out to my wide network to help purchase small items such as weighted blankets, noise canceling headphones, fidget toys and more through my Amazon Wish List below. Getting this room done is more personal to me than the first one because I see those children and staff members every day, and I've seen how much attention and energy those teachers give and how the children are struggling daily with controlling their emotions. So, I'm personally asking for your help with purchasing the items on the List so we can develop FM's second Wellness Room for P.S. 138 and give these vulnerable kids a space they can return to every time crisis strikes and never to a hard floor again! P.S. - All supplies should be sent to my school under my name: Demetrius Napolitano P.S. 108 1615 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10029 |
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1st. Meditation Room Transformation Video |
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This room was once my detention center when I was a student at P.S. 108. The admin and teachers realized placing kids in a stanky hot room wasn't going to help but rather make things worst so they just filled the former locker room with storage and shut the door. When I returned to P.S. 108 ten-years later as a teacher, we then transformed the entire room into our first Meditation Room. Can you imagine what our Second Wellness Room will look like -- especially for those children on the spectrum? I promise it will be even better! <3 |
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Here's another proud moment in my teaching career: to witness one of my students lead his own meditation. I started an after school program at P.S. 108, where I am teaching students how to run their own meditation and yoga classes. It was so funny to hear Jobe say to me one day after class "wow I never thought being a meditation teacher was so hard" to which I reminded him it's more than me telling my students "breathe-in, breathe-out" (or inhala and exhala for my Spanish children), but also making sure my spirit is in some state of peace and stability so I effectively guide others. No matter how hard it was for Jobe to lead our "Alternative Nostril Breathing" practice, he still said he wants to be a meditation teacher when he grows up! |
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Here's a small glimpse of a class with my 8th graders where I share how I created Fostering Meditation from my experience within Foster care. In our weekly classes, I try my best to bring different meditations, various yoga poses, and if I can purchase them, plant-based snacks and fruits so they know wellness is mind, body, and breath! |
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If anyone knows how many GoFund Me's I've started -- you're laughing right now. Truth is, I got a good track record with exceeding each amount! The first one was for my trip to India ($17,000), the second ($4,000) was for meditation pillows for last year's 8th graders (who, by the way, have told me the pillows have helped them maintain their practice), the third ($3,500) was to help me sustain while I was back in India last summer, and now this fourth one ($4,500) is to raise funds to give this next round of 8th graders their own meditation pillows. As I mentioned in the GoFund Me, this one is probably more personal to me than all the others given I've taught this 8th grade class since 4th grade and have so many memories with those young people. Each pillow is about $100 given the FM logo is sketched in, and the durability is long lasting. If you can help spread the word about this GoFund Me, I'd appreciate it. I know my students will be so grateful to hear at their graduation in June, as I give the keynote speech, that they are all receiving a meditation pillow to take home with them so they can continue Fostering Meditation! |
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Yoga for Balance Youtube Video |
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Every newsletter I send out this year will be with a new Youtube video of me guiding the practice so you can also practice with me. So, press that subscribe button and let's do some yoga! |
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If you got this far -- thank you. Seriously. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into Fostering Meditation because I first see how much this work continues to serve me as someone who still suffers from complex trauma, but is working every day through therapy and my practices to heal, grow, and be renewed. Secondly, I see every time I step into a classroom to teach, how much the practices helps my students from the infants (seriously, I am teaching 3-year-olds at P.S. 108), to the elders I run into in Harlem and they tell me stories of how they are now directing their grand-children in the practices. FM is needed now more than ever. Also, know your contributions doesn't always have to come in the form of money (although that is deeply appreciated and needed), but can also come in the form of you connecting FM to a school or organization; it can be donating supplies to one of our meditation rooms, sharing the GoFundMe link, or booking me to come speak in your city or town about my journey through foster care to creating Fostering Meditation (P.S - my new number and email is below). Thanks, again, for taking time out of your Sunday to read through FM's newsletter. I look forward to sharing March's updates with you in the coming weeks! In the meantime, take good care of yourself, may God keep you, and may you continue to nurture yourself through whatever Wellness practices you have. |
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Supporting Fostering Meditation |
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FM is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, our EIN number is 13-2612524 Checks can be made payable to FM's fiscal sponsor: The Fund for the City of NY Attn: Dina Runcie, Fostering Meditation 121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor New York, NY 10013-1590 Thank you, in advance, for your support of our Revolutionary work! In Service, Demetrius T. Napolitano Fostering Meditation, Founder/CEO |
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"It is easier to build strong children, than repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass |
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