centering the minds & hearts of young people
a national leader
Inward Bound Mindfulness is part of a deep lineage of teen mindfulness retreats which began in Barre, MA in 1989. It was from this foundation that co-founder Jessica Morey and others were inspired to launch a nonprofit dedicated to teaching mindfulness in an immersive environment to young people. Since our founding in 2010, Inward Bound has grown from a small nonprofit to a national leader with retreats having been offered in 16 states and 3 countries.
self-awareness & focus
compassion for self & others
ethical decision-making
resilience to greet life's challenges
in their own words: our impact on young people
mission, vision & values
Our mission is to provide in-depth mindfulness programming for youth and the parents and professionals who support them.
Our vision is to support future generations of heart-centered, diverse leaders who are prepared to respond to the challenges of their time with focus, resiliency, and compassion for themselves, their communities and the global environment.
Our values are how we bring our vision to life on a daily basis.
- Mission-centered — we believe in the transformative power of mindfulness and compassion. We recognize youth and their unique voices, measure the success of our work through the embodied positive transformation of teen participants and their communities, and commit to addressing issues of equity in all that we do.
- Collaboration — we value input from all members of the community, recognize individual differences and work collaboratively to harmonize them, and strive to embody a model of shared leadership.
- Compassionate authenticity — we individually carry ourselves with integrity, and as a team, we value open, honest communication in all situations including difficult feedback conversations, which provide us the opportunity to show each other compassion and learn from our mistakes.
- Trust, mutual support, and celebration — we embody mindfulness, joyfully celebrate our work together, trust that each member of the team is working to attain our shared goals, and commit to exploring our blind spots together while embracing humility, vulnerability, self-awareness, and deep listening to each other.
- Excellence — we value effectiveness and efficiency in using the resources (human and financial) we have available to deliver high-quality programming with reliability, proactivity, and attention to detail.
justice & equity at the core of mindfulness & compassion
Within its mission of teen mindfulness, Inward Bound prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). This commitment to DEIA is embodied across its programs and organizational leadership, which utilizes a Collaborative Leadership model for shared decision-making and strategy-building across staff, teachers, teens and young adults, parents/guardians, and community partners.
steeped in practice & science
Inward Bound holds a critical responsibility in the field of mindfulness education: to complement and amplify the impacts of in-school programs, and to expand the value and capacity that youth-serving professionals have for sharing immersive mindfulness experiences with youth.
Our transformative curriculum provides a rare opportunity for young people to experience deep, prolonged insight into their own experience while forging authentic connections within a fun and welcoming community of peers and mentors. Using research-backed formats and culturally responsive, trauma-informed teaching frameworks, we impart lessons in self-awareness and empathy and teach techniques that calm and focus the mind.
Research on the impact of Inward Bound retreats has demonstrated that, following their retreat, teens experienced increased self-compassion and life satisfaction, along with decreased rumination and reactivity. Teens and parents regularly share that our programs are transformative, and more than 50% of participants return for additional retreats.
an extensive network of teachers & partners
Our extensive network of 120+ staff, teachers, health coordinators, and mentors are experts in the fields of mindfulness, youth development, mental health, and education, and have lived experiences that deeply connect with the teens we serve. They exemplify authenticity, compassion, and respect, upholding a strong code of ethics. In fact, some of our leaders today were participants in the first teen retreats offered in 1989.
Equally impactful are the national and regional partnerships we nurture. Together, we welcome young people to embrace mindfulness and compassion, inspire school communities to earnestly work towards deeper levels of connection and wellbeing, and empower a movement of youth-serving professionals using mindfulness across all disciplines.
2022-25 strategic vision: we are boundless
We are affirming a future where the hearts and minds of teens are boundless. It's a future where: significantly more teens are welcomed into the heart of transformation through our immersive programs and affiliated programs offered by Inward Bound-trained teachers; every young person can identify with and feel a deep sense of belonging throughout the our community; and young people and adults alike see Inward Bound as a bright beacon of how to foster meaningful change in the world.
explore the plana selection of media coverage on our impactful work
