History
The Mind Body Awareness Project was founded in June of 2000 by Noah Levine and a group of his close friends. As with many self- destructive kids, Noah’s search for meaning led him first to punk rock, drugs, drinking, and dissatisfaction. But the search didn’t end there. Having clearly seen the futility of drugs and violence, Noah looked for positive ways to channel his anger and rebellion. Noah reached a turning point when he began practicing mindfulness-based meditation while locked up in the Santa Cruz juvenile hall. Meditation had a transformational effect on Noah, and after practicing it for over five years, he decided that he wanted to share the practice that had transformed his life with others. Noah, along with Isaiah Seret, Scott Diamond, Catherine Diamond, and Jonathan Raymond founded The MBA Project with this mission. We started our first few classes in Santa Cruz and we have expanded significantly. Noah is now a well-known meditation teacher who leads retreats nationally as well as leading groups in juvenile halls and prisons.
In 2006, the MBA Project merged with its sister non-profit, Youth Horizons, founded by Andrew Getz and Soren Gordhammer (who later moved to NYC and founded the Lineage Project there). The merger was undertaken to create one viable organization that would more effectively harness the resources of the Bay Area to provide awareness-based programs to serve the needs of Bay Area youth. By creating a single organization identified with the services that we provide, we have streamlined our administrative structure, allowed for the pooling of financial support that already exists for each organization, and also laid the foundation for more effective fundraising in the future.
In 2007 MBA merged with Vision Youthz, founded by Dr. Kyra Bobinet. Vision Youthz was largely an aftercare program, providing continuity-of-care to youth in San Francisco post-release. Youth were part of an internship program, and received case management as well as many supportive services, within a framework of inner awareness practices. Vision Youthz had developed an outdoor program, at Log Cabin Ranch, that made use of many nature-oriented awareness activities, rites of passage, and Council practice. There was a wealth of experience in the program from 10 years of exploration, and also a clear link to ceremony, sacred space, and Indigenous tracking practices.
MBA today is the result of the merger of these 3 organizations, with a combined 23 years of experience serving at-risk and incarcerated youth through inner awareness practices.
Our unique programs promote self-esteem, emotional competence, and self-care. Our aim is to empower incarcerated and at-risk youth with direct access to tools, competencies and emotional stamina needed to control impulses, manage aggression, and reduce stress. We provide youth with powerful new methods of responding to the challenges they face in the present, so they can build a foundation for healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives in the future. It is our experience that youth who possess more positive internal assets such as high self-esteem and self reliance, social and emotional competency, and positive values are more likely to lead successful, satisfying, and productive lives as adults in our community.
