On My Mat: Promoting Compassion, Mindfulness, and Body Kindness in School
Aged-Girls

Informed Consent/Volunteer Coach

On My Mat is an after-school program that utilizes yoga and mindfulness to develop self-compassion in school aged girls in grades 3-8. OMM has been developed by Julie Mathers of On My Mat, LLC. Weekly sessions will be implemented by a group of trained volunteers which includes you. Throughout the program students will participate in the yoga practice, mindfulness techniques, and small group lessons. The program strives to promote compassion to self and others, cultivate mindfulness, and support body kindness. The long term goal is to provide the tools at the elementary and middle school levels that to build and solidify self-esteem. Jennifer M. Frank and Karen Rice of the Millersville University Social Work Department are assisting OMM with the evaluation of their program.

Title of the Study:
On My Mat: Promoting compassion, mindfulness, and body kindness in School Aged-Girls

Purpose and General Description
The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the On My Mat (OMM) program for school aged girls in which you are participating.

This study is being conducted by Jennifer M. Frank and Karen Rice of the Millersville University School of Social Work and Julie Mathers of On My Mat, LLC.

Participation:
What we will ask you to do:  As a volunteer of the program you will lead weekly workshops twice per week by implementing the curriculum that you have been provided.  It is necessary that you implement the curriculum as provided. Each week, you will participate in a conference call to assess how the week of sessions went. One purpose of these phone calls is the ongoing training of volunteers.  You will complete a weekly questionnaire, which is intended to assess the fidelity of the program.  That is, to examine the extent to which the program is being implemented consistently across sites.

In addition to implementing the OMM curriculum, you will be responsible for photographing and submitting electronically the pictures of the selected expressive artwork and writing responses created by the girls.  These photographs should not include identifying information, but will be assigned a number. The art will be assessed for themes related to the core values of the program.

Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary.  It is your choice whether to assist with the research and it will have no bearing on your ability to participate in the program.  

Your answers will be confidential. Data collected will be combined for analysis purposes and not be connected to the person completing the projects.  

Although we are asking the youth to put her name on her projects and writing, we will replace that name with a unique ID in order to match her responses for analysis purposes.  For all future use of the data, the youth’s name will be replaced with this ID so no one is able to identify the person who completed the artwork and/or reflections.

Potential Risks
There are no known risks to participating in this study.

Potential Benefits
This study will explore compassion, mindfulness, body kindness, and self-esteem, key components of the program.  Feedback will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and identify necessary changes to enhance outcomes.

Compensation for Participation
Compensation will not be provided for participation in this study.

Alternatives to Participation
The only alternative to participation in this study would be to not participate, and individuals can deny or withdraw from participation at any time without repercussion.

Information Withheld
There will not be any information purposefully withheld from subjects in this study.

Debriefing
The contact information of the researchers is listed below.  Participants are free to contact us at any point to obtain further details about study.
 
Confidentiality
Confidentiality of data will be strictly maintained.  As stated above, personal information will not be attached to your responses.  Data will be entered into and compiled on the researcher’s password-protected computer.  All data will be retained for at least three years in compliance with federal regulations.

Questions about the research and rights of research participants:

If you have questions: The primary researchers conducting this study are Jennifer M. Frank and Karen Rice.  You can contact Jennifer M. Frank at Jennifer.Frank@millersville.edu or 717-405-0361 or Karen Rice at Karen.rice@millersville.edu or 717-871-5297. Further, you can contact Julie Mathers at Julie@onmymat.org who is the primary coordinator of the OMM program.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your rights as a subject in this study, you may contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at 717-871-2309 and ask for Dr. Rene Munoz.

Consent
I have read the above information, and understand why the research is being done.  I give permission for my child to participate in this research study.  I know that I am free to change my mind and withdraw my child from this research at any time.  If I do decide to withdraw her, we will not be punished and all previously collected information about her will be expunged. Further, withdrawal from participation in the study has no bearing on my child’s continued participation in the program.  Additionally, by signing below, I also agree that I am at least 18 years of age.