Headspace, a leader in mindfulness and meditation, announced the launch of Healthy Happy America, an initiative to improve the health and happiness of America, one city at a time.
The initiative starts in Pittsburgh, PA on November 15th, working with the EMBRACE Pittsburgh movement and the CHILL Project to collectively bring everyday mindfulness to the people of Pittsburgh and help the city get happier, stress less and sleep soundly. Healthy Happy America will comprise of a free, two-day event full of activities and spatial experiences held in an interactive series of rooms called The Dot, which will be located in Schenley Plaza. Events will be led by Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe and Steelers’ wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“Our mission has always been to improve the health and happiness of the world. In a world that feels increasingly stressful for many, we want to inspire people to look after themselves and others, and ensure they have all the tools they need. Starting local and making it feel personal is a big part of that, and we’re very excited to begin this journey with the incredible community and people of Pittsburgh,” said Andy Puddicombe, former Buddhist monk and co-founder of Headspace.
Headspace is focusing its social impact efforts on supporting youth initiatives, joining with local schools, the JuJu Foundation, EMBRACE, Carnegie Mellon University and the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) to pilot a mindfulness program based in social and emotional learning (SEL) principles.
Headspace’s Healthy Happy America Takes Over Schenley Plaza on Nov. 15 & 16
The event will kick off with a mindfulness exercise for a group of local sixth graders who are participating in AHN’s CHILL Project, which is a pilot initiative introducing mindfulness skills to students and teachers in two local school districts. Headspace works with organizations across the K-12 education ecosystem to deliver mindfulness resources and provide Headspace access to educators at no cost through its flagship social impact program, Headspace for Educators. Headspace also partners with more than 100 school districts across the country, including delivering access to educators in several Pittsburgh Public School District schools, to drive deeper engagement with educators and students, and to engage in research and thought-partnership. Headspace, AHN and the JuJu Foundation will work together to support and develop mindfulness and SEL programs for the broader Pittsburgh education system.
EMBRACE Pittsburgh, founded by philanthropist Cindy Citrone, was recently launched in the community with Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams, academic institutions and founding partners. The movement, driven by the Citrone 33 Foundation, champions mental strength throughout the Pittsburgh region.
“EMBRACE is pleased to be the local partner in Pittsburgh with Headspace on the national launch of Healthy Happy America,” said Cindy Citrone, founder of Citrone 33. “We are aligned with improving the mindfulness and well-being of Pittsburghers,” said Citrone.
Headspace’s Healthy Happy America will take over Schenley Plaza for two days and offer events around meditation, mindful eating, stretching and sleep. All events are free and open to the public. Visit www.headspace.com/pittsburgh to see the full schedule, view details on all events and to RSVP.
