09/11/2023
Today is our first day back in schools for the 2023-24 school year. It is also the anniversary of sorts of the beginning of Bent On Learning...
On September 11, 2001, approximately 25,000 children were living or attending school in lower Manhattan, some in close proximity to the World Trade Center.
Within hours of the disaster, the New York City Department of Education recognized that children in public schools needed immediate, expanded mental health services—including grief counseling, early intervention for PTSD, and assistance managing fear, anxiety and anger—that could not be provided solely by the existing staff of mental health professionals in schools.
At the time, we were 3 volunteer yoga teachers teaching in a few New York City public schools. Karen Schwartz, yoga therapist and social worker, was the Grant Manager at New Visions for Public Schools. She knew first-hand as well as professionally how much yoga and meditation could help students heal. She awarded us the SHAPE 9/11 grant to teach stress management to students in 10 schools in downtown Manhattan and, thus, Bent On Learning was born! (Karen, pictured left with BOL Co-founder Anne Desmond in 2018, now leads the Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Training of our 95-hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Training Program (returning in 2024)).
It’s been an honor to serve the children of New York City public schools for the past 22 years and make health and healing part of their school day. The students, along with the memory of the lives lost on 9/11, inspire us to move forward with resilience, unity, and a commitment to a brighter future for all children and their families.
COVID-19 and the impact of social media have introduced new and distinct challenges. We will continue to adapt and refine our programs to meet the current needs of children and support their mental well-being for years to come.
May you be part of this journey for the next 22 years!
