2020 Annual Report
What does our community do when the world we know changes so suddenly and dramatically? We hold the hands of people we trust and greet the unknown together.
The State of Our Youth
In many ways, teens have been impacted the most by the pandemic. Navigating adolescence in today’s world is tough enough. Add to that a year and a half of remote learning, irreversible loss of precious milestones like graduations, proms, and sports, and an intensifying list of sociopolitical crises where it doesn’t seem like the ‘adults’ know what they’re doing, and the result is millions of teens are really struggling with their mental health.
In our own small and mighty way, iBme has been a critical oasis of support and insight during the pandemic for thousands of teens and the adults who directly support them. Beyond the practice of mindfulness, at the core of our work are teachers and mentors who can see the world through youth eyes, and offer a type of compassion that feels genuine and inviting. We are so grateful for you and our whole community of supporters who allowed us to increase our investment in supporting youth during the pandemic. As you navigated your own unknown, you met our calls for giving, participated in our programs, and remained committed to our mission.
Please explore the report, Holding Trust in Our Hands, and discover how our community responded when the world we knew changed so suddenly and dramatically. You’ll learn about our expanded affinity programs and unique collaborative leadership system. You’ll also find out how many total participants we welcomed to our Zoom calls last year (hint: it’s more people than the number of lakes in Minnesota).
I learned that many of my anxieties and insecurities aren’t fixed, immovable parts of me, and that with practice and patience, I can work through them and tap into joy.
— 17-Year Old Male-Identified Retreat Participant