BOSTON, MA – “It’s a lot to be a kid these days,” sighed Kadeja Gaines, reflecting on the societal, social and economic pressures placed upon children as they navigate daily life in schools across the country. “What I wish people would take away from things like the Courage Campaign -or even just for our own lives – is just how much work and intentionality it really takes to continue to feel like you can rise and rise again to find confidence.”
As a board member at the Courage Campaign, Gaines has been watching closely as founders Ashley Mitchell & Mark Bernardo worked tirelessly to provide targeted programming in schools that combines the power of movement with self-reflection to support healthy responses to stress & anxiety, build confidence, and navigate everyday challenges with stronger communication.
“If you think about the average student in the average public school..they’re seated for most of the day,” explains Ashley Mitchell, CEO of the Courage Campaign. “They’re expected to follow rules, not talk. They’re testing a lot more, their teachers are stressed, facing job insecurity – also low pay – also no parental leave – so they’re in this sort of environment that feels a little more anxious than perhaps we grew up. So often, you’ll see kids that have outbursts over really what we would think of as nothing. But they’re tired, they’re hungry, they’re tired of sitting – it’s kind of just kind of a pressure cooker environment where the kids need to get up and move.”
By taking the initiative to offer a unique environment that combines an awareness to students’ feelings with movement and breathing, Ashley and Mark have seen a remarkable response to The Courage Campaign.
“Watching students be able to regulate when they feel their emotions start to bubble up and to hear students say, ‘I need to take a break’ or ‘I need to take some time by myself’ or ‘I need to take some deep breaths’ – that’s the best you could hope for. They’re advocating, they know what they need, and that they’re taking that space before it bubbles over and possibly disrupts the class or another student.”
By offering different levels and options for movement, complimentary snacks to help regulate blood sugar, and connecting with the students in a way that offers support and validation, Gaines says she has witnessed “intimate, authentic and unscripted moments where children are just responding” to communicate their feelings and immediate needs.
“Being a therapist and a mom, there was this moment when I was watching the evolution of what Ashley was doing particularly the high intensity movement with journaling and just the way that it tapped into these places with young kids,” explains child therapist and mother Beth Niernberg. “Kids are really growing up in this very digital universe and for them to be in a space where they can connect something that they’re doing with something that they’re feeling, we’re giving them the ability to label their feelings and put things into action.”
To support the work of The Courage Campaign, Ashley knew she wanted to do something that offered a similar standard of movement and mental health support. From there, Bold Moves was born: a fitness-focused fundraising community that meets twice a month throughout Boston to support mental wellness, healthy movement, and raise funds for the Courage Campaign.
What’s the vibe: You’re working out with your friends once a month for charity
“It’s really amazing to see many people who are passionate about the way they move, many people passionate about health and wellness and just to see that energy come together and have that channeled towards an amazing outcome and an amazing organization,” explains Gaines.
From yoga at Down Under Yoga studio in Back Bay to an invigorating dance workout in the basement of Capo, Bold Moves boasts a new monthly theme with some of Boston’s best fitness instructors.
“The brilliance of combining monthly movement with repeated exposure to the Courage Campaign has made bold moves a win,” says Niernberg. “They can manage themselves differently because they understand their bodies differently. We were never taught how to understand our bodies in school – but to think that kids are learning that when they’re 7, 8, 9. I like to imagine how they’re going to be at 15, 16, 17 and how much more dialed in to what they believe and what they feel versus what the girl sitting next to them thinks or believes or feels.”
To learn more about The Courage Campaign and upcoming events, visit their website.
To see more stories like this or if you have an event you’d like to pitch to Emmalyn to cover, email emmalyn@emmalynreid.com.
Emmalyn Reid 