Purusha Project

 

As we enjoy the changing colors and temperatures of fall, The Purusha Project is approaching the end of a very busy and successful 2010.  In the past year we have been working to develop four partnerships with local counties. We are currently partnered with Scott County Juvenile Corrections and the Hennepin County Home School, a residential facility providing gender responsive programming for girls involved in juvenile justice and child protection systems. We are also in the process of beginning partnerships with Dakota County Juvenile Corrections and Carver County Juvenile Corrections in January 2011. Over 100 teenage girls have experienced The Purusha Project using The Art of Yoga curriculum (www.theartofyogaproject.com ). 

 

The number of teenage girls in juvenile justice and child protection systems is on the rise nationwide. Recent research shows that teen girls benefit from a different rehabilitation style than teen boys. Teen girls in the juvenile systems are more likely to return to law-abiding and socially positive behavior when they engage in a relationship-based, structured and supportive gender-specific group while in placement. Empowering our teen girls to develop self-confidence and the tools to work through life challenges is essential as they set goals to be successful in school and adulthood.

The Purusha Project is a weekly court mandated ‘girls group’. The two-hour sessions are attended by girls who are in placement, on house arrest, in treatment, or on probation.  In addition to their criminal offense, many girls come with a history of drug addiction , eating disorders, violence, prostitution, abuse in the home, homelessness, and alcoholism.  Each session offers a yoga practice, life skills group discussion, reflective journaling, and art experience to explore the session’s yoga theme.  The goal of the sessions is help the girls take responsibility for their own lives and learn constructive ways of dealing with the problems they face.

 

With the limited funding available from partner counties, the Purusha Project needs your support.  In 2011 we will be hiring additional instructors to provide four sessions per week, one with each of our partner counties. Your contribution will help support the cost of certified yoga instructors as well as the art materials used in the Purusha Project sessions.

We need your financial support to help the Purusha Project continue to grow!   Our website (www.thepurushaproject.org ) accepts credit card and PayPal donations online and has other information on making contributions.  The Purusha Project is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is located in St Louis Park, Minnesota. Your contribution to The Purusha Project is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

 

Thank you for supporting our mission.  Because of you we can continue making a difference in the lives of these girls as they become contributors to society.  With your support we can help teenage women develop tools to approach life with resilience, self-confidence and a positive self-image.