Empowering Students in New York

Over the past 3 years, the Art of Living Foundation’s Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES!) has been taught in six different high schools in New York City, with much success. A wide range of schools offer YES! as an exciting alternative for students: City-As-School, a school that serves a mostly at-risk student population; Professional Performing Arts School, a top public performing arts school; High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology, an above-average Brooklyn public high school; and a NYC Public Schools Suspension Site, a school site where students who have been suspended from school for 6 months or who are returning from prison attend classes. In the YES! Program, students learn skills that are absolutely essential in life, but are not necessarily learned in school or at home: stress management, concrete tools to manage negative emotions, conflict resolution, leadership, social responsibility, human values and service.

YES! is now offered as a credit class in several high schools in New York City and across the U.S.  It is currently being presented for Physical Education credit, Health credit, and Surplus/Independent Study credit.

Student surveys of 500 teenagers in New York City show that: * 93% of students experience a reduction in stress * 86% experience reduced anger and irritability. * 93% of students report better mood * 89% gain increased ability to focus

Other benefits reported by students are improvement in sleep and improved calmness.

Many of the students who have participated in the YES! Program consider it a life-changing experience. Sajma, a student at Wadleigh High School in Harlem, felt this way after YES!:

“I can honestly say that this course was one of the best experiences of my life up until now! When I left each session I felt so much better about myself. I felt like I can get through any test, problem or obstacle and my self-esteem was certainly uplifted. These days every day there seems to be something contributing to our level of stress and it seems impossible to relieve. The people who take this class are the lucky ones and the ones who will always be ahead of the game in school and in life in general.”

Magen, a sophomore from the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology in Brooklyn, had this response:

“This course was great! I met new people who I can relate to, I became more focused, and I am able to think more clearly. The breathing really helps me to calm down. After taking the course I feel more open to new things, at ease, and more involved and educated. YES! is totally hands on and interesting to discover. It’s a whole new way of looking at things with a clearer state of mind. It’s absolutely teenage material that helps us deal with the hardships in life.”