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Benji Project presents school and camp programs aimed at building teens’ self‑compassion; seeks Clallam expansion
Summary
The Benji Project described a mindful self‑compassion curriculum used in schools and camps, reported serving 518 students in the last fiscal year, and said grants from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts support arts‑based programming and expansion plans into Clallam County.
Heather McRae Wolf, executive director of the Benji Project, and Nancy Israel, program coordinator, presented the organization’s school‑based mindfulness and self‑compassion programming and recent expansion plans to the advisory board.
McRae Wolf said the program—founded after the death of a local teen—uses a Mindful Self‑Compassion for Teens curriculum and is delivered in schools, after‑school settings and summer camps. Nancy Israel said the organization served 518 students (ages roughly 11–19) in the last fiscal year and has begun offering programming at middle and elementary grades in Jefferson County. The presenters said they hope to locate some summer camps and program offerings in Clallam County next year (SEG 1056–1066, SEG 1122–1133).
The Benji Project reported it uses a mixed funding model: camps operate on a pay‑what‑you‑can basis with scholarship options and the organization received a two‑year grant from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts to support an arts‑integrated spring intensive. “Our vision is that young people thrive navigating life’s ups and downs with resilience,” McRae Wolf said.
Board members asked about staff credentials and how the program responds when it meets students with active mental‑health or substance‑use disorders; presenters described referral protocols, intake screening and partnerships with school‑based staff and community providers to ensure appropriate referrals and supports. The presenters emphasized they are educators using curriculum and community referral—“we are not positioning ourselves as therapists,” one speaker said (SEG 1596–1609).
Presenters asked for referrals to fill board and staff roles, said they are recruiting a Clallam‑based program coordinator and encouraged board members to suggest partnership sites. The board welcomed the presentation and suggested staff follow up on possible school and community partners.
The advisory board took no formal vote; the item was informational and the presenters asked for community referrals and partnership opportunities.
