Who We Are


About Us

New Leaf Yoga Foundation was founded in Toronto in 2007. Simply put, our organization was created by like-minded people whose lives have been impacted by yoga and who want to create opportunities for others to participate in yoga, especially young people residing in some of the least-serviced communities and facilities.

We set out to build an organization that would not only make yoga accessible to youth, but would also provide on-going support for teachers and staff at our project sites so that long-term, committed programs could flourish.

We believe that yoga (and by yoga we mean asanas –physical poses, meditation and generally a way of life) can be a powerful contributor to social change, and that change on a large scale starts one person at a time.

At New Leaf Yoga Foundation, we hope to inspire and support youth to tap into their inner strength and resources, so that they may cultivate seeds for peace in their lives.

She completed a 500 hour + yoga certification in 2005, and has since earned certifications of training with Vajra Yoga & the Lineage Project in New York City, designed specifically for working with at-risk and incarcerated youth, Street Yoga Teacher Training (Portland, Oregon) for street-involved youth, participated in Youth Circles Training through Peace Builders International, and a 6 month Mindfulness Yoga Teacher Training, bridging Buddhism and yoga. She has also completed the certificate training program in Trauma Sensitive Yoga at The Trauma Center, Justice Resource Institute in Boston, and has most recently studied mindfulness for at-risk youth with Vinny Ferraro, teacher training director for Mind Body Awareness Project in Oakland, CA.

Laura has been working directly with youth in custody for the past 5 years currently teaches  at Roy McMurtry Youth Centre in Brampton.


Jessica Robertson
Vice President
Jessica Robertson is co-founder and director of Moksha Yoga, a community of environmentally designed and ethically inspired yoga studios. She has been involved in leadership positions in the not-for-profit sector for over a decade, working primarily to implement and safeguard international human rights legislation and to promote environmentally conscious living.

Jessica has studied yoga with Baba Hari Das, Jai Uttal, Gurumukh, Bikram Choudhary, Sri Navasana, Judith Lasater and many other yoga luminaries..

Directors and Advisors

DIRECTORS

Frank Jude Boccio
Yoga Teacher, Interfaith Minister, Zen Buddhist Dharma Teacher, Author
Frank is the author of Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body and Mind - the only fully integrated treatment applying mindfulness teachings and practices to the postures and movements of hatha-yoga. He has taught all over the world in a variety of settings, including as a guest teacher in prisons, and regularly contributes to Yoga Journal magazine.

Shaka Licorish
Facilitator, Yoga Practitioner
Shaka is both a facilitator and case manager with the Canadian Training Institute’s Breaking the Cycle, an ambassador and leadership program in Toronto for gang affiliated/involved youth. A former student-athlete having graduated with two B.A.(Honors) degrees in Criminal Justice & Public Policy (University of Guelph) and Political Science (McMaster University) respectively, Shaka has several years experience working with marginalized youth, young adults and the many barriers and challenges they face.

Kate Love
Youth Advocate, Yoga Practitioner
Kate has spent more than 9 years working in the non-profit sector championing social justice issues including in the area of violence and gang prevention programming for youth. For the past 6 years Kate has worked with Leave Out ViolenceE (LOVE) in various capacities including Program Director. She currently works with SEDI, an organization that assists low-income Canadians, where she provides financial literacy programs to individuals in the shelter and prison systems. Kate holds a Masters Degree in Criminology from University of Toronto.

Felicia Ross
Yoga Teacher, Studio Director
Felicia is a yoga teacher, studio owner and mother who has been actively involved with the Children's Aid Society of Toronto for several years. She worked with teens as a coach for 11 years and has assisted the Junior League of Toronto with implementing various programs for inner city youth.

COMMUNITY CO-ORDINATOR
Nicole Madison
Nicole has been involved in management positions in the non-profit and charitable sector for over 10 years. She has worked in design, in administration and bookkeeping, as well as event management. Nicole is a certified yoga teacher; dedicated to the practice of yoga for over 10 years and teaching yoga since 2005. Her certifications include Moksha Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga with Frank Jude Boccio, Restorative Yoga with Hali Schwartz and Trauma Sensitive Yoga with the Justice Resource Institute.

YOUTH MENTORSHIP CO-ORDINATOR
Jamiena Shah
Jamiena is passionate about supporting social change initiatives and community/capacity- building both locally and abroad. She has over 5 years of project management and consulting experience with community-based organizations advocating mainly for women and youth and has worked in countries across the globe. Jamiena is also a member of the TDOT Renaissance, a group of emerging and interdisciplinary artists, working and rooted in Toronto. For more information, please visit her LinkedIn profile: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/jamienashah.

INTERN
Rae-ven Parsons
Rae-ven joins our team after being in the New Leaf Yoga Youth Mentorship Program with Breaking The Cycle in Rexdale. She feels her experience with New Leaf’s program opened her up to so many life opportunities and welcomed her into a lifestyle that exposed her towards paths which allowed her to truly self reflect. The beginning process was difficult but through patient yoga practice, support from New Leaf staff and a personal mentor, access to yoga studios, a journal for writing and other yoga resources, she was able to grasp the inner tools one needs in order to sincerely mold their future. “I learned that one can progress through their times of struggle, and that I had an option of not becoming a product of my environment. If I wanted something enough, I could make it possible through hard work, practice and patience. I am eager, ready and committed to helping create this new phase of the New Leaf Yoga Youth Mentorship program for more young people. I hope to share my experience along the way and hope other young people will be inspired to open up their minds in order for them to embrace positive change.”

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN
Rhea Reny

ADVISORS

Michael Stone
Psychotherapist, Yoga Teacher, Author
Michael Stone is a yoga teacher and psychotherapist. He leads the Centre of Gravity Sangha in Toronto. He is the author (from Shambhala Publications) of The Inner Tradition of Yoga, and Yoga For a World Out of Balance, as well as a book of essays on Yoga and Intimacy.For more information, visit www.centreofgravity.org


Carole Varin
Male Youth Detention Facility Program Manager, Counsellor
Carole has been working in the field of social services for fifteen years and has been actively involved in several different facets of this sector including working with at-risk youth experiencing social, emotional and behavioural barriers. Carole’s most recent endeavour is as a Program Manager/Counsellor at a detention facility for young males in London, Ontario.

Adam Segal
Psychotherapist
Adam Segal, M.A., is a Toronto-based psychotherapist working in private practice. He has experience working with adults of all ages and specifically with young adults, members of Toronto's LGBT communities and persons facing illness. Adam's interests in mindfulness and Buddhism greatly inform his life and work with clients.

PARTNERS

Donors

ROOT DONORS ($16,000 +)

Our root funding partners are a support system that we can’t survive without. They provide the foundation that keeps us firmly planted and allows us to carry out the important work we do.

Jones, Gable & Company Limited, Toronto
A very special thank you to Donald Ross for his generous support and belief in our work.

Moksha Yoga Community
We have been incredibly blessed that a group of yoga studios that make up the Moksha Yoga community came together right from the start to collectively provide our base funding. This community continues to support our mission to reach out to more and more youth in need and continues to inspire us with their commitment to giving back. We extend huge amounts of gratitude to the studio directors, teachers and students who have contributed - without them, we wouldn’t be where we are.

Contributing Moksha Yoga Studios:

* A special thanks to Moksha Yoga Uptown who has raised more than $20,000 in 3 years!

Lululemon Charitable Giving Program
Each year for the past 3 years, Lululemon stores across the GTA have generously chosen New Leaf as one of their charitable recipients. In total over that time, the Lululemon community has donated nearly $25,000, making a huge impact on our project and in the lives of the youth we teach.


STEM DONORS ($6,000-$15,000)

Our stem funding partners help us to continue to reach higher and higher. We are so grateful for the generous support of companies and individuals that have been inspired by our vision and believe in the work that we are doing.

L & A Sherman
Venturlink Funds


LEAF DONORS ($500-$5,000)

Leaf funding partners help us to blossom and flourish, proving that when many come together and give whatever they can, amazing things will happen. Studios and organizations big and small, individuals who can give a lot or a little, make a huge difference in the lives of the youth we work with.

Yoga Community Toronto (Acorn Grant)
Kula Yoga (Annex, Burlington, Oakville)
Hot Yoga Wellness
Queen Street Yoga
The Yoga Way
J Robertson
F Ross
P Born
G Hutchinson
The Geoffrey Wood Foundation


CONTRIBUTORS

So many people also give their valuable time, knowledge and skills to help us make this work.

A huge thank you goes out to:

Ilana at LAUNCH BOX
Sandi at ILLUSTR8
James Fox – Insight Prison Project, California
Freeing the Human Spirit
Lineage Project, NYC
Jill Satterfield – Vajra Yoga NYC
Irene & Ryan Bailey
Erin Moraghan
Bluewater Youth Centre
JJ & Deena Robertson
Heather Campbell
David and Kali Hewitt-Blackie
Heather Elson & Queen Street Yoga
Tracy Adair
Toronto Yoga Guide
Ted Grand & Tara McLean
And countless others...

WARRIORS FOR PEACE

Warriors for Peace is an annual fundraising campaign that was first launched in July 2011. It's goal was to bring a team of warriors together to raise $30,000 in support of New Leaf's projects with youth. Through this 2011-12 campaign, we were able to raise $26,700 through the generosity of yoga studios in Ontario (listed below) and an additional $2000 through the generosity of individuals.

These studios are Warriors for Peace:

Kula Annex
Kula Burlington
Kula Oakville
Moksha Yoga Bloor West
Moksha Yoga Uptown
889 Yoga
Moksha Yoga Danforth
Moksha Yoga North York
Mokhsa Yoga Downtown
Moksha Yoga Ottawa
Moksha Yoga Richmond Hill
Moksha Yoga Scarborough
YogaSpace
Moksha Yoga Peterborough
Moksha Yoga Stratford
Yoga Sanctuary Danforth