DLF is entering its 2nd year partnering with Aspire Ollin University Preparatory Academy, a charter school located in Los Angeles County. Aspire Ollin currently houses 500 students grades 7 - 9 with annual growth plans to reach grades 7 - 12 over the next three school years. Through providing Transcendental Meditation (TM) to its students, the Foundation aims to enhance and sustain high academic achievement and develop greater emotional intelligence and coping ability within its student body.
Aspire Ollin's students, who hail from Huntington Park - a largely Hispanic, low-income section of LA - face a tremendous amount of stress and violence in their environment due to a number of circumstances such as language barriers and immigration policies that often disrupt family units. The school serves as a safe haven for much of the student body, providing TM, emotional support and excellent after school programs.
The David Lynch Foundation will expand and sustain the Quiet Time Program, which currently provides Transcendental Meditation to the entire Aspire Ollin student body. TM gives students a practical tool that empowers them to release stress and, at the same time, enliven their creativity and learning readiness. TM also helps alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety that can often trigger numerous health, emotional and cognitive issues.
Research indicates that Transcendental Meditation (TM) is of significant value for students. Key findings including 10% improvement in academic achievement, 40% reduction in symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, and 86% decrease in suspension rates over two years. Meditating students also score higher on intelligence tests and standardized academic tests and exhibit higher graduation rates as compared to non-meditating students.
