For young people to be willing to explore mindfulness, they need to feel safe and free from judgment. Without this, no learning is going to take place.
The most powerful way to build this sense of safety is through positive social connection. For this reason, the SOMA Programme takes an approach called “relationship before content”.
The curriculum isn’t death by powerpoint. Instead, it's packed with activities that are designed to foster interaction, connection and trust. This is the basis for learning!
The SOMA Programme emerges from over a decade of teaching mindfulness to young people in a vast array of contexts: to 13 year olds at risk of dropping out of school; to older students preparing for exams or university; to young men in prisons and to teenagers in private schools.
This experience shows a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. You have to be responsive to the needs, dispositions and aspirations of the young people you’re working with.
For this reason, flexibility is a cornerstone of the SOMA Programme.
The SOMA Programme is not a rigid curriculum. Instead, it consists of 45 activities underpinned by a rigorous structure. You can develop lessons and courses to flexibly meet the needs and learning styles of the young people you’re working with.
A programme that activates strengths
Every young person has character strengths. Qualities like kindness, joy and courage. Mindfulness is the practice that can help us recognise and grow these qualities.
With the SOMA Programme, you can help young people recognise and appreciate the best in themselves.
You can help them grow the foundations of wellbeing: Social connection, Openness to enjoyment, Meaning & purpose, and Action & agency.
Join thousands of educators from more than 50 countries already sharing Youth Mindfulness Programmes
More than 40 videos giving in-depth instruction on how to share each of the learning activities from the SOMA Programme. Gain insights on how to adapt for different groups, and structure courses to meet the needs of your young people.
On demand video lectures & meditations
You'll have access to more than 30 video meditations to support your personal engagement with the course themes as well as lectures exploring the science and theory of the SOMA Programme.
Practical Teaching Resources
Download a full set of digital materials, including a comprehensive teacher’s manual, activity guides, and presentation slides. These expertly designed resources equip you to deliver engaging, interactive, and effective mindfulness sessions with confidence.
You'll learn the structures and principles that underpin the development of mindfulness in young people.
Create an Atmosphere of Nonjudgment
Nurture a social environment of trust and positivity amongst teenagers and young adults.
Support Different Learning Styles
Use videos, discussion, and kinaesthetic activities to make mindfulness accessible and relevant!
Guide Mindfulness Practices
You'll learn the key dos and don'ts as well as develop a way of guiding that feels authentically your own.
Lead the Inquiry Process
Lead compassionate, exploratory dialogue that deepens learning and understanding.
Be flexible and responsive
Choose the right SOMA Programme activities to engage the young people you're working with.
FAQ
Do you need previous experience or qualifications to join the training?
In a word, no. The only prerequisites to join the training are that you have an established regular personal mindfulness practice and have completed some form of introductory mindfulness training like an introductory course.
I’m not a school teacher, can I still do the training?
Yes! Anybody can train with us. The only thing that is necessary is that you already practice mindfulness and have a passion to bring this practice to young people.
I’ve only just started practising mindfulness, can I join?
It depends. How long have you been practising? If just a week, then we recommend that you take some time to develop your own practice first. There are many wonderful resources available to you to deepen your mindfulness journey. We recommend the healthyminds app from the University of Wisconsin: https://www.humin.org/wellbeing-tools/app
What are the pre-requisites?
To join the training you need to have an established regular personal mindfulness practice and have completed some form of introductory mindfulness training like an introductory course.
Does this enable me to teach mindfulness in schools?
Yes — many people use the Youth Mindfulness programmes to teach mindfulness in school settings.
That said, anyone working in schools is responsible for ensuring they meet the school’s requirements, which typically include appropriate safeguarding checks (such as DBS or Disclosure Scotland) and relevant insurance.
Teaching mindfulness in schools is fundamentally about trust, competence, and relationship. Schools will look for practitioners who can demonstrate care, good judgement, and a clear sense of why this work would benefit their students. In practice, this matters more than any certification.
Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure you are suitably prepared, to teach with sensitivity and integrity, and to work in ways that are appropriate for the particular school and group of young people.
Is this training accredited?
On completion of the training, you will receive a certificate confirming that you are trained to teach the Youth Mindfulness programmes. Many people use this training to teach mindfulness in schools, community settings, and other youth contexts.
The course is not accredited by an external regulatory body. Teaching mindfulness to young people is still a relatively young field, and there is currently no widely recognised or independently regulated accreditation standard. While some organisations offer “accreditation”, this often involves little more than a fee and basic paperwork, and is not necessarily a reliable marker of quality or competence.
In practice, schools and organisations tend to place greater weight on a practitioner’s experience, personal practice, discernment, and ability to build trust, rather than on formal accreditation alone.
The Youth Mindfulness programmes have been used by thousands of educators in more than 50 countries, reaching hundreds of thousands of young people worldwide. They are widely respected within the field, and responsibility rests with each practitioner to teach with care, integrity, and professional judgement.
Is the training really free?
Yes. It's offered freely. We've taken this decision to make it as available as possible to any educator anywhere in the world that would like to train to teach the Youth Mindfulness Programmes and offer mindfulness to young people. We do have ongoing costs, but we trust that those that value this work and those who train in our curricula will be moved to support us so that we can continue make this offering.
