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What We Do
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Niroga InstituteBackgroundAlthough public education is focused on the a child's experience within a classroom, it is the experiences that they bring from outside that greatly affects their performance in school. In addition to physical health and academic readiness of students, Full Circle Fund's Education Circle recognizes the importance of student's social-emotional health to improve education. Students, particularly in overcrowded, urban public schools, lack the stress management skills and self control they need to pay attention in class, develop positive self esteem, and make good decisions about their lives. MissionThe Niroga Institute is a rapidly growing, three year old non-profit organization based in the East Bay whose mission is to bring high quality, low cost yoga and mindfulness instruction to at-risk youth and other underserved populations. Niroga's approach, more broadly described as Transformative Life Skills or TLS, is a multi-modality intervention that combines yoga poses, breathing techniques and meditation to support the mental and physical health of its clients. The application of these techniques in schools and other places where at-risk youth can be found holds great promise as a cost-effective strategy for reducing stress, violence, substance abuse, truancy and many other problems affecting our schools and communities. Founded in March of 2005 by Dr. Bidyut Bose and a group of dedicated volunteers and supporters, the Niroga Institute has grown to the point where it is now able to provide transformative life skills to almost a thousand young people in area public schools, alternative schools, juvenile court placements, foster homes, and recreation centers. Niroga classes are taught by a team of certified yoga teachers, called the Yoga Corps, who have a special knack for connecting with the populations they serve. These classes are making a big difference in the lives of the students who participate in them. Full Circle Fund RoleFull Circle Fund's engagement with Niroga has had two main threads. First, Full Circle Fund participated as a one-third funder of a pilot program at El Cerrito High in Richmond, where several hundred students engaged in yoga and mindfulness exercises right in the classroom for 15-20 minutes, three mornings a week. This pilot was important for reasons beyond the immediate benefits for the students and teachers involved. First, the large sample size permitted the collection of significant data about the effects of Niroga's transformative life skills instruction on the students' physical and mental health, high risk behaviors like crime and substance abuse, school attendance, and academic performance. This research demonstrated the validity and cost-effectiveness of this approach generally and Niroga's innovative classroom-based protocol, called Life Corps, in particular. Second, beyond supporting this important pilot, the Full Circle team also partnered with Niroga staff and board members to support their marketing and resource development efforts. In particular, one team member with CFO experience helped to refine Niroga's business plan. Another team member with marketing experience helped Niroga draft a marketing plan to reach grassroots supporters as well as stakeholders in their programs. Other FCF team members are helping Niroga build corporate partnerships, increase foundation funding, and upgrade their website and media library. Additional Reading
Grantee PerspectiveWatch this video to hear Niroga Institute Co-Founder and Executive Director, Bidyut Bose, speak about the work that the partnership with Full Circle Fund has enabled. |
NAME: Niroga Institute
"What Full Circle Fund supported in this last year was unique in the country. We worked with kids in classrooms over a semester. Data found we were able to reduce stress and increase self-control. The impact of this on education is major." Bidyut Bose |
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Copyright 2010 Full Circle Fund