Social-emotional learning, including meditation, yoga, and mindfulness breaks are becoming more commonplace in schools across the country.
Reports have found these initiatives are even more beneficial among communities that have fewer resources than others, including those with more students of color.
This is especially evidenced in Atlanta, where GreenLight Fund Atlanta helps Georgia school systems pay for mindfulness programs.
They are created by Inner Explorer, an audio platform that guides students and teachers through five-to-10-minute sessions of breathing, meditation, and reflection.
It’s used by Atlanta Public Schools and over 100 districts in the U.S.
The goal is to ensure that at least some form of mental health care is accessible to students of color, as Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate among racial groups according to the CDC. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black youth increased by 144%.
And according to Joli Cooper, GreenLight Fund Atlanta’s executive director, “there are not enough psychologists of color” available.
While meditation breaks do not eliminate the need for more in-depth care, they do help.
Teachers and administrators at Roberta T. Smith Elementary School in Atlanta told the Associated Press they notice a difference in their students since incorporating mindfulness into their daily learning. And the students notice, too.
“I love myself how I am,” Aniyah Woods, a 9-year-old, told AP. “But Inner Explorer just helps me feel more like myself.”
A version of this article was originally published in The 2025 Mental Health Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
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