BIPOC Teen Retreat
July 31st – August 5th, 2023
Big Bear Retreat Center in Big Bear, CA
→ Scholarships available and transportation assistance available – contact us.
Please review our COVID-19 Policy before applying.
Be loved + accepted for who you are
Mindfulness retreats provide young people with the rare opportunity to experience uninterrupted and genuine insight into their own life experience while connecting with their peers and mindfulness teachers in a welcoming and safe community. Come for the fun & friends. Stay for the calm & community.
Retreat details
Age
15 to 19 years
Cost
Sliding scale: 1% of annual household income, up to $2,500. Learn More.
Duration + Location
6 days, 5 nights at Big Bear Retreat Center in Big Bear, CA
Application Deadline
July 17, midnight
Dates
Starts: July 31, 2023
Drop-off: 4:00 pm
Ends: August 5, 2023
Pick-up: 1:00 pm
COVID-19 Policy
Who’s teaching?
Our world-class teachers share their diverse lived experiences and mindfulness practices with every teen on retreat. They honor humanity in its many forms, allowing each attendee to be authentic and show up exactly as they are. Please click on their profile photos to read more about each of our teachers.

Enrique Collazo

Enrique Collazo is a new generation Mindfulness meditation teacher. Born and raised in Los Angeles and has been teaching and living in the Bay Area for the last 6 years. His passion is teaching the practice of mindfulness to teens. He is well loved and respected for his inspirational work at Challenge Day during the school year where he facilitates social and emotional learning workshops for thousands of young people all over the country. Enrique’s skill with teens has led to teaching internationally for Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. He is on the Guiding Teacher Counsel and Equity and Interdependence Committee for Inward Bound. Enrique is a frequent co-facilitator for teens at Spirit Rock and a committed advocate for bringing meditative interventions into jails and addiction treatment facilities.
Enrique is a champion for helping young people create pathways that align with their goals and deepest intentions, and empowering them to broaden their confidence by opening their eyes to what’s possible when negative internal narrative is transformed into positive effort.
He believes deeply in the power of marginalized voices to change the world.
Enrique was trained by Noah Levine and Vinny Ferraro at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society.

B. Anderson

Bea Anderson (they/them/theirs) has been working as a meditator and transformative justice space holder for over six years. Bea calls up the traditions, legacies, and medicine of their southern Black American, Jamaican Maroon, and Choctaw ancestry as their healing arts praxis.
In 2008, Bea began training as a Buddhist dharma teacher, community organizer, and music therapist. Later, in 2019, they became a somatic healing therapy practitioner offering a private practice supporting individuals, families, and organizations internationally.
Bea Anderson was a founding member of Harriet’s Apothecary, a healing collective that envisions a world where Black, Indigenous, and People of color have the power, healing, and safety needed to live the lives we desire for ourselves and our communities. Bea currently acts as the founder and director of Song of The Spirit Institute, an international online learning environment supporting the sustainability, health, and well-being of Indigenous peoples, culture, and lands across the globe.

Sarwang Parikh

Bio coming soon!

Travis Spencer

Travis Spencer is a licensed (LGPC) mental health therapist and mindfulness teacher/facilitator. Over the years, he generously dedicated himself to serving Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) through counseling, adults, teens, children, and families. Travis’s vision is to create a SAFE and inclusive space for the healing and awakening of all people regardless of racial identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, or social class. Additionally, Travis co-leads Mindful Parenting and Strengthening Family Coping Resources “It Takes a Village” with Early Childhood Innovation Network – (ECIN). Additionally, Travis established: ● The Institute of African American Mindfulness LLC (IAAM). IAAM is a healing and wellness organization that supports the natural capacity of African Americans and Allies to live in an inclusive community devoted to Mindful Living. ● The Mindful Teen Circles. The Mindful Teen Circles’ mission is to create an inclusive healing-centered community of practice that employs mindfulness to support the psychosocial development of teens (Identity versus Confusion). MTC supports teens by creating a mindful environment to foster (1) physical, (2) mental, (3) social, and (4) emotional well-being. The Mindful Teen Circles (MTC) at Georgetown (MTC@GT), Mindful Teen Circles at Maya Angelou Academy at Youth Services Center (MTC@MAA@YSC), and the Mindful Teens of Color at Taratibu Youth Association (MTC@TYA). Travis is a graduate of Trinity Washington University with a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Travis fosters relationships and partnerships with Educare DC, House of Ruth, Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools, Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, and Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC IMCW.
What happens on retreat?
Meditation
Learn mindfulness practices such as breath & body awareness and mindful walking. Beginners (more than) welcome!
Workshops
Explore activities like painting, improv, journaling, and creative writing. Pick and choose what interests you, or lead a workshop yourself!
Dance Party
Dance without worrying about what other people think of you. We all have our unique ways of dancing (or not – you don’t have to dance either)!
Small Groups
Laugh in good company, take the opportunity to be vulnerable, and play games like “sweet seat” to connect more deeply with a small group of teens.
Wisdom Talks
Cuddle up with a blanket! Listen and learn how to tend to relationships, emotions, the challenges of our times, and more – it’s all about applying mindfulness to daily life.
Yoga
Move and release through guided daily yoga practice.
Hear from participants themselves
Being New on Retreat
Working with Stress
Fear of Being Yourself
Being Skeptical
Save your spot – apply now!
Get started today and reserve your spot. Space is limited! Have questions? Email us at registrar@ibme.com.
Benefits of attending retreat
Feel More Connected
We’ll offer your teen tools to open their heart, deepen their sense of self-compassion, and connect more deeply with themselves – and with you!
Help Them Find Their People
Your teen will develop meaningful relationships in a community of peers and mindfulness teachers alike, where they’ll be accepted for who they are.
Take the Stress Off
You don’t have to provide for every aspect of your teen’s mental and emotional well-being. The mindulness practices your teen learns on retreat can offer additional support!
Peace of Mind
Worry less, knowing your teen will learn tools to compassionately and mindfully meet every moment of their life.
Forge Meaningful Relationships
You always have a friend at Inward Bound! Connect with people in a safe, welcoming space where you don’t have to “fit in” to be loved, to make friends, to be yourself.
Find Your Center
Gain tools to deepen understanding of your inner life, and apply skills for navigating your thoughts and emotions.
Make Happiness Easier
Learn how to release tension, pain, and self-judgment through the practice of mindfulness.
Share Who You Are
Authentically share who you are with your peers in small groups, workshops, creative/art shows, during walks in the woods, and more.

Tuition & Payment Info
Sliding Scale
Scholarships & Donations
Deposit & Balance
Diversity
Accessibility
FAQ
What about COVID-19?
What happens on retreat? What's the schedule?
How much meditation and yoga will I be doing?
Is the whole retreat silent?
I am a competitive athlete/training for a race/etc. Will I have time to train for my sport?
Can I come on retreat with a friend, sibling, or family member?
My mind is always racing. I think I have too many thoughts to meditate. Is this for me?
Why do people come on retreat? Are Inward Bound retreats fun?
What kind of person comes on retreat?
What is the age range for Inward Bound teen retreats?
Interested? Join now!
Get started today and reserve your spot. Space is limited!