Founded by nurse practitioner and yoga instructor Mary Lynn Fitton, The Art of Yoga Project began in 2002 as a pilot program and became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2005, with sites in California and Oregon.
In Fitton’s clinical practice, she treated many adolescent girls with anxiety, depression, eating disorders and unhealthy habits, such as drug abuse, self-mutilation, and unsafe sex. Determined to find solutions, Fitton created The Art of Yoga Project to help at-risk girls prepare for a positive future. The focus of the Project is on early intervention with girls in most need--those in the juvenile justice system.
The Art of Yoga Project’s Yoga and Creative Arts Curriculum for at-risk teen women offers a multi-dimensional approach to build the self-awareness, self-esteem and self-respect necessary for young women to make healthy lifestyle choices. When offered to teenaged girls referred from the juvenile justice system, goals are geared to producing pro-social behavior, empathy, positive relationships, self-control and accountability to self, others and community.
The Art of Yoga Project is designed to help girls in the juvenile justice system by focusing on early intervention and preparing girls for a positive future. Our long-term vision is that the Art of Yoga Project’s Yoga and Creative Arts Curriculum will be nationally and internationally recognized as a valid and effective treatment for at-risk adolescent girls, particularly girls in the juvenile justice system. We aspire to become leaders in revolutionizing the rehabilitation of girls and continue partnerships with innovative programs such as the Margaret J. Kemp Camp for Girls in San Mateo, California in offering trauma-informed, strength-based, gender-responsive services.
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