Programs

The Benji Project offers several class formats and workshops throughout Jefferson County based on Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens and other curricula for mental well-being. Our focus is on teaching proactive mental health skills that are accessible to all. Through classes, workshops, and camps, we help adolescents and teens develop lifelong skills for stress management and emotional resilience.

The Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens program was developed by Karen Bluth, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine, and Lorraine Hobbs, director of youth and family programs at the University of California San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Bluth has been described as the world’s leading researcher on the impact of self-compassion for adolescents.

With the help of generous donors, we can offer many programs free of charge or with extensive scholarship options.

School-based programming

Our instructors start with the Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens curriculum and modify the timing and number of sessions to accommodate the needs of local school districts and different age groups. Schools where we have offered programs include Port Townsend High School, Chimacum High School, OCEAN K-12 Alternative Learning Environment, Brinnon Middle School, and Blue Heron Middle School.

If you are interested in hosting The Benji Project at your school contact heather@thebenjiproject.org

Community Programs

summer camp

Annual week-long summer camps are held for middle and high school age students to introduce mindfulness and self-compassion tools in a light-hearted, age-appropriate way. These empowering tools are developed through social, physical, and outdoor camp activities that help youth turn their experiences in mindfulness and self-compassion into lifelong skills.

Registration is now open for Summer Camp 2024! Check out our Summer Camp page for information.

after-school programs

Small group support for 6th-12th graders. Discover practices that offer grounding in times of stress, and comfort in times of upheaval. Set up as an eight-week series to explore mindful self-compassion and how it can support your well-being. These sessions will use art, meditation, journaling, and movement practices designed to help you arrive in the present moment and learn to manage stress with greater ease. Learn more here.

parenting circle

We periodically offer workshops in mindful parenting that help parents understand the brain science of adolescent development, how to support their teenager in positive ways, and how to care for themselves amid parenting challenges. Learn more here.