When you’re a kid, you’re on the go – always moving from one thing to the next, never slowing down to catch your breath or pausing for reflection. One Richmond nonprofit is hoping to change that.
Across Richmond, community youth programs are helping young people grow mentally and physically. Programs like L.O.C.A.L. Adventures show how fitness, creativity and mentorship can shape the next generation.
Taking a Pause
Founded by Preston Slaughter, the nonprofit helps K-12 youth develop tools for managing stress and connecting with themselves and the environment through a series of mental wellness and fitness programs. Slaughter emphasizes “taking a pause is crucial” for kids who struggle with stress and balancing their emotions.
L.O.C.A.L. Adventures is built on three pillars: breath and mindfulness; art and creativity; and outdoor exploration. Learning how to manage stress and emotions at a young age can help children be more mindful in the future.
“I had no tools to navigate the stresses of being a teenager,” Slaughter said.
Another important piece of the organization is the great outdoors. Mindfulness is part of the equation, but being out in the community spaces and across Richmond are just as important to finding a balance between mental clarity and overall wellbeing.
Richmond is no stranger to outdoor beauty, and with everything from hiking trails to Class IV rapids, there are beautiful spots in nature almost everywhere you turn. To get her students to begin seeing their community through that lens, Slaughter often asks students a simple question.
“‘Do you know who the park system belongs to? You,’” Slaughter said. “Trying to help kids understand they’re a valuable part of society.”
Programs and Offerings
Slaughter and her team utilize their programming to help kids tap into their body’s holistic layers: physical, mental, emotional, energetic and joy. According to its website, that last piece plays an important role in L.O.C.A.L. Adventures’ programming because, “discovering our ‘joy body’ means identifying the activities that bring us bliss and drop us into the present moment.”
There are many programs students can experience through L.O.C.A.L. Adventures that focus on overall mindfulness and wellbeing. A few of them include:
- Yoga and Mindfulness: Participants learn how to practice mindfulness in everyday life through yoga expression. It explores movement, creativity, journaling and discussions empowering youth to build stress management toolkits. Trained facilitators teach how to develop bodily awareness, building skills to manage emotions easily and joyfully.
- Spring Break, Summer and Weekend Camps: To help provide activities during out-of-school time, kids can take part in yoga and hiking. These camps allow students to go beyond the typical time constraints of after-school activities and experience new challenges, growth and adventure in a supportive environment.
- Yogi Explorers: A spinoff of the Yoga and Mindfulness class, Yogi Explorers participants start indoors, learning stress management on the mat before applying skills in local parks and trails.
- Body & Earth Explorers: This program helps youth connect with nature by blending anatomy, emotions and the environment. Using elements like fire for anger or water for grief, it creates a safe space for exploration, play and self-discovery.
L.O.C.A.L. Adventures also works to make its programs accessible to different communities, and it relies on donations to keep its programs as accessible as possible. Community members can support the program through donations that help cover operational costs or by sponsoring a youth participant.
To learn more about L.O.C.A.L. Adventures, visit its website or follow it on Instagram.
