Community project supports Newfield youth

The Newfield Public Library, in conjunction with Newfield Middle School and the School for Radiant Living at the Yoga Farm Ithaca, is offering a series of engaging, science-backed classes to support the health and well-being of Newfield youth and other community members. This Community Cares Project provides free access to the simple tools and techniques taught by Jeannie O’Neill, education director of the Yoga Farm in Lansing.

The Community Cares Project came about when a survey conducted by Tompkins County Youth Services in 2018 revealed that nearly half of Newfield students reported feeling sad or depressed or held negative beliefs about themselves.

Newfield Library Director Sue Chaffee said that she was astounded to see how many students reported feeling depressed on a regular basis, so when the county offered grants to community organizations serving area youth, she knew it was an opportunity to address the issue.

“Our librarian, Heidi Eckerson, had past experience with Jeannie [O’Neill] at the Yoga Farm,” Chaffee said. “We brought her on board to develop a program to help middle school students who were struggling.”

The Yoga Farm’s mission is to “put an end to the silent epidemic of anxiety, depression and loneliness.” O’Neill regularly leads certification programs for educators who want to bring yoga and mindfulness into the classroom. A former classroom teacher herself, she knows the impact that such practices can have in an educational setting.

The program that O’Neill proposed for Newfield uses a three-phase approach. Though the pandemic caused some delays and modifications in implementation, the essential structure remains unchanged.

“The first step was to introduce the entire community to mindfulness tools that can help individuals in times of stress,” Chaffee said. “This was supposed to be a fun in-person kick-off event, but ended up being done via Zoom last September.”

If you missed the Zoom session, you can access a video clip on the library’s website (https://newfieldpubliclibrary.org/community-cares-kick-off-tues-sept-22/) to meet O’Neill and get a quick overview of the program’s goals.

“Mindfulness is a buzzword in education right now, and that is unfortunate because when things are trending, they tend to lose some of their potency,” O’Neill said in the video. “Mindfulness, for all its hype and fluff, is simply paying attention to the present moment without judgment.”

At the Yoga Farm, O’Neill said that they have identified three areas of concern that crop up across age groups, socioeconomic classes and races — people telling themselves that they are not worthy, that they are not doing enough and that they are alone. Learning how to break out of the cycle of negative self-talk is a crucial step toward health and well-being.

“Employing these practices with students of all ages, consistently and over time, is a key to unlocking those stories of unworthiness that we carry around with us,” O’Neill said. “Adolescents particularly tend to live within those stories and that can lead to things like depression and anxiety.”

Step two of the process was supposed to be an assembly, where O’Neill would present to every middle school student, faculty and staff member. Again, due to the pandemic, plans were changed somewhat.

“Middle School Principal Pat Mahunik had the idea of using the school’s Google Meet platform in place of the assembly,” Chaffee said. “We’re hopeful that the students, faculty and staff will see a recorded video of Jeannie’s presentation in February.”

Following the video, students and school personnel will be able to opt into a series of follow-up sessions with O’Neill in February and March.

The third phase of the program widens the circle to invite participation from the broader community.

“As we navigate these unusual times, it’s important to nourish the emotional and physical well-being of our entire community,” Chaffee said. “By helping families understand the tools and techniques of mindfulness and meditation, we can help and support each other.”

To that end, Newfield residents will have free access to the Yoga Farm’s Online Academy for a limited time. Follow the instruction on the library website to explore this incredibly rich library of classes, podcasts and more. In addition to quick and easy strategies for coping with stress, offerings include vinyasa and kundalini yoga, Qigong, inspirational talks and guided meditations.

The Community Cares Project is funded in part by the Pitch Program grant from the Tompkins County Youth Services.

In Brief:

Library events

Other events at the library this month include:

• Storytime on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. — join Miss Sue and friends for stories, songs and more. Call the library at 564-3594 or email newfieldlibrary@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
• Meetup Discussion Group for adults on Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. — Call or email for the Zoom link.
• History Book Club with Gary Emerson on Feb. 9 and 23 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. — read and discuss “Race Riot: Chicago in the Red Summer of 1919” by William M. Tuttle, Jr.
• Painting Party on Feb. 11 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. — join local artist Sue Redman as she guides us through a painting. Materials provided for up to 12 participants (six at NPL, six via Zoom). Registration required on the library website.
• Great Backyard Bird Count from Feb. 12-15 — January’s focus on the birds prepared us to participate in this annual count. Brochures from Cornell Lab of Ornithology available at the library. Sign up at https://www.birdcount.org.
• Virtual Game Night on Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Scattergories
• Tech Night — Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.