Project Completion Report Sonia Daptardar Page Week: 6/16/2025-6/19/2025 Project Overview My project was to host a Mindfulness and Motivation Forum for teens (grades 8-12) in my area to learn practical mindfulness techniques that they could use in their daily lives to remain destressed and to maintain positive mental health. In Cary, academic pressure often has a large impact on student mental health and contributes to depression, burnout, anxiety, and other mental issues. To address this issue, I wanted to foster a safe space for teens to express themselves while teaching them how to manage their stress through safe outlets such as mindfulness strategies. To complete this project, I utilized my role as forum creator within Cary Teen Council, the largest service council in the state of North Carolina that completes various service projects throughout the city of Cary and helps at local events. As a member of the executive board, I was able to collaborate with the lead advisor, Ally, as well as other members of the executive board to host a successful forum on September 30th, 2025 at Herbert C Young Community Center. Project Planning To plan this project, I first brainstormed three potential types of forums I could have and shared these ideas with my advisor (Ally) and the chairs of the executive board, all of whom have hosted forums in the past. After they gave me feedback, I selected the third idea and began developing a formalized plan in google documents. In this plan, I included the structure of the forum, supplies needed, how teens would sign up to attend, and the incentives they would receive for their participation (hot chocolate and service hours). I got the plan approved by Ally and the forum was approved. After the forum’s approval, I collaborated with the outreach representative on the board to develop slides, activities, and methods of keeping everyone engaged. These slides were then shared to all concerned parties and consequently approved for the forum. Project Impact Summary After reflecting on this event, I believe it went well. I talked to the teens after the event was over and requested feedback. All those I spoke with reported feeling satisfied, relaxed, and supported. They said for future forums, keeping it smaller and letting them express themselves without excessive rules was a good strategy to maintain. I think I was able to help my target group (teens grades 8-12) and everyone also walked away with their own mindfulness map to remind them of the strategies we discussed. I can tell I made an impact because simply after the forum, all of the teens were off their phones and interacting with those around them, which was a direct teaching from the forum (remain present and attempt a digital detoxification when possible). Simple acts like that can help decrease stress and promote positive mental health. Lessons Learned Overall, I learned how to effectively plan an event, design it for a specific target audience, and manage my time wisely to plan and execute an event properly. It was a very fulfilling experience and I look forward to hosting similar types of forums in the future.