Having the confidence to go after your dreams, to stand up for yourself when bullied or to stop yourself from bullying others out of fear and shame takes a cultivation of compassion for your entire self, heart, mind, and body. Girls and boys can learn younger and younger that they have a voice, they have something to teach others in this world, and they have something to learn from others as well. That is what confidence looks like. We believe, moving your body, training for something that may seem out of your reach and yet with friends by your side along women and men investing in your heart mind and body - will help you realize you can achieve that goal and many others while you discover #thefinishlineisjustthebeginning.
Mini Mermaid and Young Tritons Running Club collaborates with school administrators, teachers, after-school care programs and other non-profits, to train and equip adult volunteer coaches to lead a team of ten children through one of our six character driven curriculums. Over 12 sessions each 1.5 hours long, coaches lead groups of no more than ten children per club through double standard techniques, tools for building self-compassion, strategies to cultivate empathy, anti-bullying games, fitness, and nutrition. Utilizing the work of Amy Cuddy, Dr. Kristen Neff, and many others, small groups result in open discussion, while focused workouts and encouragement lead each child to find their happy pace. Each child receives a journal for reflection, t-shirt, and all supplies for activities within the curriculum. Volunteer Coaches are given a handbook, training, and support from MMRC staff, as well as all supplies for their team of ten children.
MMRC stands for dignity for ourselves and others and believes providing a platform for children to find their unique voice and form of movement will foster a lifelong habit of self-care.
We are:
- Changing the lives of children by shifting their internal experience and the way they interact with the world around them.
- Inviting children to have open, authentic conversations about their thoughts and feelings, to discover self-compassion and empathy for others, find their unique strengths as well as identify goals and establish tangible steps to achieve those goals.
- Redefining strength by exploring heart, mind AND body strength, examining what we each can teach and learn, we show each child how they can articulate a personal strength and reach out to ask others for help.
- Breaking traditional barriers of movement by addressing each child where they are, encouraging them to find their happy pace as an important step to lifelong-balanced fitness.
- Striving to get every child across their 5k finish line and arm them with the physical and mental tools needed to run 3.1 miles.
- Distinguishing ourselves through our curriculum with character driven stories helping children identify with an external character and their choices to see how they can shift their behavior.
Mini Mermaid Running Club six week curriculums all follow the same model:
Week 1: Head - How what we see and hear in the world around us affects the choices we make
Week 2: Heart - How we speak to ourselves impacts how we feel about ourselves and others AND affects the choices we make.
Week 3: Hands - No matter who we are or what we have we can collectively serve others. In community we are strong
Week 4: Belly - Food is our fuel and propels us forward, making choices to fuel our body will give us the strength to reach our goals.
Week 5: Legs - We celebrate our unique strengths and learn tools to ask others for help.
Week 6: Feet - Our feet leads us where we want to go, we learn how to set attainable goals and discover the finish line is just the beginning.
The four curriculums are:
C1. Finding Your Voice - Self Discovery. Curriculum 1 teaches every girl to listen to her inner voice and to use tools to navigate the world where truth and lies often sound the same. We teach girls how to tell the difference between the two voices we often hear, inherent truth (Mini Mermaid) and muddled messages (Siren).
C2. Loving Yourself No Matter What - Self Worth. Curriculum 2 teaches girls to love themselves and to recognize and be proud of all they have accomplished. We teach girls to live fully, no matter what their circumstances might be.
C3. Writing Your Story - Your words are powerful. Curriculum 3 teaches girls to use powerful words to stand up for themselves and others. We focus specifically on anti-bullying techniques and tools to live in a world driven by social media.
C4. Choosing Your Tribe - Building your community. Curriculum 4 teaches girls the importance of choosing friends wisely. Knowing that peer influence is a predominant indicator of decision making, we show the girls how to use the tools they have learned to build the tribe that will help them become the young women they deserve to be.
Young Tritons Running Club is giving boys their own journey to the finish line. After hearing from many boys their parents and educators that they also needed a thoughtful curriculum aimed at mindfulness, balanced living, anti-bullying we wrote Young Tritons Running Club. The boys learn about Young Triton and his journey, evidence shows when children can identify with a character outside of themselves, they are more likely to respond, self-reflect then self-correct. The following are topics covered over the six weeks:
Wk 1 B.Strong = Strength Redefined. I know words are powerful, I think carefully when I use them.
Wk 2 Be good to yourself = Self-Compassion, My voice is a tool that shapes my emotions; it has the power to impact how I feel about myself.
Wk3 Empathize this! = Empathy. I use my voice stand up with AND for others.
Wk 4 Let's do this! = Cooperation. I use my words to help others.
Wk 5 Balanced Ph = Balanced Physical Health. I use my voice to encourage myself AND others to try something new.
Wk 6 The finish line is JUST the beginning. My voice defines my integrity
Junior Coaches program is a 9-week middle school and high school curriculum. Girls learn mentorship and leadership skills for three weeks then go to their local elementary school to help coach a team. In pairs, they work together to help an adult coach ten girls through Mini Mermaid Running Club curriculum.
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CommentLacy Stephens