Sherilyn developed and implemented Peace. Love. Youth. (in) Yoga (PLY²) for inner city youth living in a public housing community. The program was structured as a mindfulness and yoga curriculum and reached over 200 youth. Participating youth learned how to increase their self-awareness by meditating and performing traditional yoga poses.

As a result of the program, youth described the following changes:

• “Meditation has started helping me from fighting people.”
• “Yoga keep me calm and happy.”
• “Meditation is something that keeps you calm.”
• “Yoga takes bad thoughts off my mind.”
• “Meditation…like a medicine to me.”
• “Yoga at home help me calm down.”

PLY 2 will be sustained via a community partnership with A Friend of Mind. A Friend of Mind is a local nonprofit founded and managed by Sherilyn Garner. It will continue its work with Oak Tree youth, teaching them how to self-regulate their breathing, emotions, and behavior.

“I’m reminded of a quote by Leo Tolstoy, who said: ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. If we don’t change, we don’t grow, and if we don’t grow, can we say that we’re living?’ Because of my fellowship experiences I have changed, grown, and now am living stronger in my truth of a mental illness survivor and mental health advocate.”