From 1st January 2017 we have changed the way membership of the Teen Yoga Foundation works.
When we originally set up the Foundation, a few months before the first Instill conference, it seemed logical to raise funds through membership to get the work off the ground. So we offered this, with various incentives such as discounts for the conference and CPD courses, and many signed up for that first year’s membership.
Since then, we have got our charity status, which was early in 2016, and after some debate, we have decided that fee-paying membership does not sit so well as a model for fundraising, as collecting fees pushes us towards a transactional relationship where the fee is seen as a payment for the provision of services, rather than simply support for our charitable activity. It feels more appropriate to work with donations and grants, and especially the valuable work that our volunteers contribute.
So, as of 1st January 2017, we are not collecting fees for membership. We will rely on donations for the different campaigns we organise. We do however ask you to register, and update your data regularly. By doing so, you are showing solidarity with young people everywhere and supporting our work to promote the inclusion of yoga in education. It also helps us to keep in touch with you, and it is valuable to be able to talk about the numbers of members we have when we are requesting funding.
We will continue to maintain our member’s area (thanks to the volunteers who are helping with the resource collection) where we provide a collection of research articles and other publications relating to yoga and young people’s well-being.
There are also other benefits of membership. These include a discount on our annual conference, and on other events and activities run by the Teen Yoga Foundation, including CPDs run by collaborating organisations.
So please register if you havent already, and if you want to help, by donating or working with us, please get in touch.
Happy New Year!
Photo by Cristina Cerda