Mission Statement
Our mission at Rockford Barbell is to improve the social and emotional well-being of youth through mindful movement and trauma-informed practices.
At Rockford Barbell our youth programs (Weightlifting, Yoga, etc.) align with CASEL's framework to provide trauma-informed practices to develop and grow social/emotional skills in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
Social and Emotional Learning is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
Check out more information on the CASEL framework.
Our Self-Regulation programs systematically enhance best practices of trauma treatment for youth and families in the community by focusing on the first two components of trauma treatment: developing therapeutic rapport and developing self regulation.
Read more about the active ingredients of trauma treatment.
Trauma, Stress and Anxiety cause physical tension in the body and often require a physical intervention to reduce that tension. Releasing physical tension in the body reduces the sympathetic response (fight vs flight system) and reduces feelings of stress and anxiety while restoring prefrontal cortex functioning (responsible for executive functioning skills such as planning, time-management, creativity, attention, self-control, etc.).
Rockford Barbell teaches children to reconnect with their bodies and recognize the difference between tension and relaxation through mindful movement. Providing children the tools to grow stronger minds and bodies increases their resilience and allows for further positive outcomes.
Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University