In-Person: Young People Are Struggling. The Dharma Can Help – A Brunch Conversation for Teens and Young Adults
with Shea Riester and Maya Park
Saturday, November 8th, 2025 | 11:00am – 1:00pm ET
Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor
It’s a turbulent time to be a young person. With countless voices telling them who to be as the world feels on fire with crisis after crisis, finding an authentic, hopeful and loving path forward can feel out of reach.
In this harrowing moment for youth, dharma community and practice can be transformational. Join us for brunch and dialogue on how meditation and dharma can support young people now more than ever, and learn about the Contemplative Semester, a powerful new program for young people.
Alums and staff from the Contemplative Semester will share their experience of the challenges facing youth, and how dharma practice has provided a deep and stable refuge amidst the noise.
This event is for all ages (young people and their families).
For more info:
The Contemplative Semester (CS) is a three-month immersion in Buddhist wisdom, meditation, community living & nature connection for 18 – 25 year-olds. Nestled in the foothills of Vermont’s Green Mountains, CS is a contemplative laboratory for young people to learn & practice transformative peace, freedom and compassion, needed now more than ever in this time of political, ecological & social crises. Optional college credits available!
“I can truly say that the Contemplative Semester is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. There are truly no words to express my gratitude and how incredible it’s been for me. It’s given me life in the sense that it’s given me community, an entirely new toolkit for how to move through the world, and a basis of care, compassion, strength and authenticity to guide me.”
– Maia, 20, Contemplative Semester alum
Registration:
This gathering is open to all, and if you are able, we invite you to offer dana to New York Insight. Although there is no registration fee and your presence remains the greatest gift, please consider making an offering through the form below. Much gratitude and appreciation for whatever you may offer.
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Teacher(s)
Shea Riester
Shea (he/him) is a somatic therapist, meditation and communication teacher from Brooklyn, NY. Shea fell in love with meditation when he was 19, and has practiced deeply in Insight and Zen Buddhist lineages for 16 years. His purpose and joy is supporting young people’s access to the dharma, helping lead programs he wished he had when he was a young adult. He has worked with Inward Bound Mindfulness since 2017, serving as Mentor, Mental Health Coordinator, and now Teacher. Shea co-founded the Contemplative Semester and teaches meditation, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and conflict transformation during the semester. Shea is a member of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders (CDL) program. At home Shea builds community through co-leading the Brooklyn Insight sangha, facilitating with All Kings, a men’s healing group centering justice-impacted men, and supporting community conflict transformation with the NY Peace Institute.
Maya Park
Maya Park (she/her) envisions a world where unconditional love and fierce ethical accountability converge. She hails from Brooklyn, NY and is pursuing a PhD in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center. After graduating from the Harvard Teacher Fellows’ founding cohort, she taught 7th grade history for six years, coached humanities teachers, and continues to mentor early career teachers through the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Maya’s research explores teacher mentorship, community, and trauma-informed mindfulness as tools for transforming cycles of harm. Maya aspires to participate in educational havens of belonging that allow educators and students to bring their authentic selves. She is a graduate of the Inward Bound Mindfulness Teacher Training, and continues to train in Nonviolent Communication and Somatic Experiencing (a trauma healing therapeutic modality).