University of California, San Diego Bridging the Hearts & Minds of Youth: Mindfulness and Compassion in Clinical Practice, Education, and Research

The Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference Program Committee has announced that the 2015 conference will feature speakers and sessions devoted to exploring how mindfulness and compassion training can address the major issues facing all of our youth in this day and age. Some of the key topics of interest include: bullying and teen violence; marginalization, discrimination and poverty; the obesity epidemic; body image and eating disorders; substance use and abuse; the challenges and opportunities of media and technology; depression, anxiety and chronic illness. Fortunately, there is growing evidence that mindfulness and compassion may be a powerful means of meeting and overcoming these challenges. Drawing upon the past success of the conference in gathering leaders in the field of bringing mindfulness to youth in educational, clinical and community settings, this year's conference will turn its collective attention to how this important work can have an impact on our youth , this generation and the society at large.