Category: Youth and Family

(High School Students)

Led by Laura Hansen and Max Erdstein
First Sunday of the month, 5:30 – 6:30 pm

We aspire to create a safe and joyful space where teens learn mindfulness to nurture inner-discovery, clarity and a deeper connection with others. After a guided meditation, we discuss issues that are alive and rich in us (typically around relationships with friends/family, stress, intentions, identity, etc.) and in general have some fun with life! You can find more information at www.mindfulteens.net. Please RSVP Laura Hansen at Imc.MindfulTeens@gmail.com

On Hold

(Sixth graders have the option of attending Dharma Rocks and/or Dharma Bodhis)
Led by Hilary Borison
Fourth Sunday of the month, 5:15 – 7:15 pm

A time to explore how the dharma can support challenges and opportunities pertinent to middle schoolers through group discussions, mindfulness practice, creative activities, interactive games, pizza dinner, and opportunities for community service.

Please contact Hilary Borison at  IMC.familyprogram@gmail.com or 650-575-2052 for more information or to RSVP.

Dharma Rocks Program (3rd through 5th Graders)

(Sixth graders have the option of attending Dharma Rocks and/or Dharma Bodhis)
Led by Camille Whitney and Tim Sandoe
Third Sunday of the month from 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Meditation and mindfulness practice through games, stories, and art. Light snack provided. Parents/guardians can either drop off and pick up their kids, or wait at IMC. We ask that anyone attending be vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear a mask while indoors. For more information or RSVP, please contact Camille Whitney at CRWmindfulness@gmail.com.

Biographies:

Camille began her personal mindfulness practice in 2001 when one of her high school teachers gave her basic instructions and a copy of the book “Nothing Happens Next.” Now she pays it forward by sharing mindfulness with kids in her free time (her day job is in education research, having received a PhD in Education from Stanford in 2016). Camille has previously worked as Head of Research at Mindful Schools and as a classroom teacher. She lived and practiced for four years at San Francisco Zen Center.

Tim has been practicing Buddhism since 2007. Tim lived and practiced at San Francisco Zen Center for seven years, where he learned to give introductory meditation sessions and held various work-practice positions including work leader at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (2009-2012, Eswatini), where he led various education groups with children and youth, and co-founded a mental health promotion organization that works both within schools and in the community at large.

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Led by Lauren Silver and Melody Baumgartner
Third Sunday of the Month
Three Sundays: March 19, April 16, May 21, 11:00am – 12:15pm
In-person only, in the IMC conference room

Parents are invited to practice together in a warm and caring community, supporting each other as we raise thriving children of all ages. Meetings will include meditation, mindful speech and listening, and have plenty of time for sharing.

Our meetings start at 11:00am, 15 minutes before Dharma Rocks, on the third Sunday of each month. Children in 3rd through 5th grades who want to attend Dharma Rocks can join their teachers 15 minutes early, while their parents attend our program.

You may attend all or any part of the series. No registration is necessary. Contact Melody Baumgartner at melodybaumgartner@gmail.com for more information.

COVID vaccination and boosters are required. N95 or KN95 masks are required indoors.

Biographies:

Lauren Silver has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 2004. As a full-time working parent, she particularly appreciates the integration of mindfulness in daily life with formal meditation and retreat practice. She is a graduate of numerous study and training programs at IMC and has co-led family and children’s programs; she completed Buddhist Chaplaincy training through the Sati Center in 2020. Lauren mentors students in the Eightfold Path program, is a guiding teacher for the online Introduction to Meditation course, and coordinates a daily life practice group led by Andrea Fella. She has a PhD in developmental psychology and has taught in schools, museums, and nonprofits for 25 years. She has a 24-year-old daughter who was raised in the dharma.

Melody Baumgartner began her practice at IMC in 2008. She received Mindfulness Meditation Teacher certification through UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach in 2021. She is currently a student in Gil Fronsdal’s Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy training program. Melody has taught mindfulness to parents of adolescents through young adults since 2020. She was a decade-long board member at the Child and Family Institute, helping to create programs that nurture the growth of strong, loving, communicating families. Previously, she had a corporate career in medical devices and has an MBA from Santa Clara University. She is the mother of 19-year-old twin boys who attended IMC’s children’s programs.