PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, today announced the launch of Healthy Happy America, an initiative to improve the health and happiness of America, one city at a time. The initiative starts in Pittsburgh, Pa. on November 15th, working with the EMBRACE Pittsburgh movement and the CHILL Project to collectively bring everyday mindfulness to the people of Pittsburgh and help the city get happier, stress less and sleep soundly. Healthy Happy America will comprise of a free, two-day event full of activities and spatial experiences held in an interactive series of rooms called The Dot, which will be located in Schenley Plaza. Events will be led by Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe and Steelers’ wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“Our mission has always been to improve the health and happiness of the world. In a world that feels increasingly stressful for many, we want to inspire people to look after themselves and others, and ensure they have all the tools they need. Starting local and making it feel personal is a big part of that, and we're very excited to begin this journey with the incredible community and people of Pittsburgh," said Andy Puddicombe, former Buddhist monk and co-founder of Headspace.
Headspace is focusing its social impact efforts on supporting youth initiatives, joining with local schools, the JuJu Foundation, EMBRACE, Carnegie Mellon University and the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) to pilot a mindfulness program based in social and emotional learning (SEL) principles.
Headspace’s Healthy Happy America Takes Over Schenley Plaza on Nov. 15 & 16
The event will kick off with a mindfulness exercise for a group of local sixth graders who are participating in AHN’s CHILL Project, which is a pilot initiative introducing mindfulness skills to students and teachers in two local school districts. Headspace works with organizations across the K-12 education ecosystem to deliver mindfulness resources and provide Headspace access to educators at no cost through its flagship social impact program, Headspace for Educators. Headspace also partners with more than 100 school districts across the country, including delivering access to educators in several Pittsburgh Public School District schools, to drive deeper engagement with educators and students, and to engage in research and thought-partnership. Headspace, AHN and the JuJu Foundation will work together to support and develop mindfulness and SEL programs for the broader Pittsburgh education system.
EMBRACE Pittsburgh, founded by philanthropist Cindy Citrone, was recently launched in the community with Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams, academic institutions and founding partners. The movement, driven by the Citrone 33 Foundation, champions mental strength throughout the Pittsburgh region.
“EMBRACE is pleased to be the local partner in Pittsburgh with Headspace on the national launch of Healthy Happy America,” said Cindy Citrone, founder of Citrone 33. “We are aligned with improving the mindfulness and well-being of Pittsburghers,” said Citrone.
Headspace’s Healthy Happy America will take over Schenley Plaza for two days and offer events around meditation, mindful eating, stretching and sleep. All events are free and open to the public. Please visit www.headspace.com/pittsburgh to see the full schedule, view details on all events and to RSVP.
The aim is to roll out Healthy Happy America in cities across the U.S., to bring moments of mindfulness and joy to Americans everywhere.
About Headspace
Headspace was created with one mission in mind: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Reaching nearly 60 million users in 190 countries, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. Headspace is committed to advancing the field of mindfulness through clinically-validated research, having one of the largest research pipelines of any digital health and wellness company. Headspace operates a B2B business (Headspace for Work) to offer its mindfulness products and services to more than 400 companies, such as Adobe, GE and Unilever, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher performing organizations. Headspace partners with many of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Apple, Amazon, Google and more. Headspace also partners with brands like Nike, NBA and U.S. Women's National Soccer Team to offer sport and movement content. Headspace for Educators is the company’s flagship social impact program, partnering with organizations across the K-12 education ecosystem to provide Headspace access to educators at no cost. In 2018, Headspace launched Headspace Health, a digital health subsidiary pioneering new ways to incorporate the Headspace mindfulness experience into digital medicine. Headspace was featured as part of Apple’s #Bestof2018: trends of the year on the AppStore. Headspace was named one of Amazon Alexa’s best health and wellness skills of 2018. Headspace was selected for five Webby Awards in the health and fitness categories between 2018 and 2019. Headspace was also the winner of the Samsung Best of Galaxy Store Award 2019 for Best App To Relax With. For more information please visit us at www.headspace.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About EMBRACE Pittsburgh
EMBRACE Pittsburgh provides in-person and online educational and experiential opportunities for Pittsburghers to learn and practice self-care while engaging with their communities. The program is based on the proven and effective tenets of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). EMBRACE Pittsburgh’s program resources include many "skills and drills" focused on learning to reduce daily stress, and to be mindful, empathetic, and accepting of yourself and others. It is supported by Rob and Cindy Citrone (Citrone 33) who are part-owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers and with collaboration from Pittsburgh’s professional and collegiate sports teams. For more information, visit https://embracepittsburgh.org/.