Madison High School offered the first semester-long for-credit mindfulness course in public high schools in Portland, now in seven schools in the Portland Public School district. At the end of their coursework, the students come to Dharma Rain to put their skills into practice for four hours in a space dedicated to practice.

The executive director of Peace in Schools Caverly Morgan writes: “During a time in which many struggle with a sense of hopelessness, I feel honored to share with you a deep optimism. This is not an optimism based on a fairy tale or blind faith. It is rooted in experience. Our current generation of teenagers is learning how to pave the way for a more conscious and compassionate world. I see it and feel it daily.

“We end our semester-long mindfulness course with a final project that invites teens to spend four hours in silence and solitude utilizing the tools that they’ve learned in the class. This is their opportunity to practice befriending themselves and resting in that which is most authentic within.” See more of her letter.