“Life consists of only moments, nothing more than that. And since this moment is the only moment that we ever have, nothing matters more than this moment. Therefore when we make this moment matter, life is all that matters...if just for a moment.”
Mindfulness is being in the present moment, aware of what is happening in that moment as it's happening, with a nonjudgmental attitude. The GEN2050®️ Program was designed with mindfulness-based practices at its foundation. GEN2050®️ youth learn mindfulness-based practices and how to integrate mindfulness into their everyday lives, enhancing their social emotional wellness, reducing the impacts of stress, as well as increasing their capacity to practice gratitude and compassion.
Mindfulness as we know it today has been largely shaped by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Dr. Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) method which has contributed to the growing mindfulness movement to institutions and society.
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn has a number of written resources and videos that provide guided meditations on his website.
GEN2050®️ Mindfulness Instructors
Gus Castellanos, M.D., retired neurologist, graduated from the University of Miami Medical School in 1980. He practiced neurology and sleep medicine in Palm Beach County from 1987-2007. He has been a practitioner of mindfulness since 1999 and a teacher since 2009 (mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based attention training), trained by the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness and the University of Miami Neuroscience Lab.
Gus Castellanos, MD.
Luisa (Luchi) Estevez
Luisa (Luchi) Estevez is an activist, journalist, filmmaker, performance artist, fashion designer, Kundalini Yoga teacher, Meditation Teacher, and founder of La Luchi Projects. Luisa Estevez and her staff provide holistic programs to guide children and youth towards a natural, healthier way of living.
GEN2050®️ Forest Bathing
In the 1980s, Dr. Quig Li, MD began developing forest medicine as a methodology for reducing stress levels, blood pressure, strengthening the immune system, cardiovascular systems, and improving the social emotional wellness aspects of health. In 2021, Dr. Li’s concepts, named shinrin-yoku in Japanese or “forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”, were incorporated into the @gen2050youth curriculum “Ethnobotany and the Expressive Arts for Change.” Our GEN2050 team’s certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, Dilcia Muñoz-Billman, created this lovely video below to document one of her Forest Bathing classes.
GEN2050®️ Forest Bathing at Patch of Heaven Sanctuary
GEN2050®️ Behavioral Health Advisor
Vanessa Freeman, MD.
Dr. Vanessa Freeman is a board-certified psychiatrist with a passion for holistic care, incorporating biological, psychological, and social considerations into treatment. She received her B.S. in Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University with a minor in Inequality Studies. She earned her medical degree from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in 2017. She then continued her medical education in the military, where she served in the U.S. Army for 8 years (2017-2025), completing her residency training at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2021. She served in several leadership roles throughout her time in service, consistently recognized for her excellence in leadership and her compassion and humanism in healthcare. Dr. Freeman has experience in outpatient, inpatient, and residential treatment settings and is a certified provider of TMS. Currently, Dr. Freeman is a staff psychiatrist with Serenity Mental Health Centers.
(Dr. Freeman’s views are her own and do not reflect those of her employer.)
Here is a challenge for you: Practice the above mindfulness exercises for 30 days and let us know how mindfulness has helped you! Tag @gen2050youth on Instagram.