Recently, something beautiful (and beautifully unexpected) unfolded in my life.

A dear mother friend of mine asked if I would come teach at her daughter’s alternative high school. She desired for me to speak about hormonal health, cyclical living, sex education and to hold women’s and men’s circles for the students.

Of course with no extra thought I said, "YES!"

So I went, taught from the heart, held space the way I know how, and one of the directors of the school told me they saw how I held space and wanted me to keep coming back.

I shared a little about this on social media twice, and both times the response was huge.

My DM's and comments filled with messages from women asking: “How did you start doing this?”, “How can I bring this into my local schools?”, “What do I need to be able to hold circles for teens?”, “I feel so called to this work, but I have no idea how to make it real.”

So this post is my honest answer.

How Did This Happen?

Just be clear and out of transparency, this is how it started for me:

1. A mother friend, who is highly trusted by the school, invited me into that space.
2. The school already had an openness to alternative approaches.
3. The format was optional: only students who wanted to attend came to the circles.
4. The director saw me in action and invited me back.

There was no public job posting, formal application process or any long policy negotiations.

It was organic, relational and based on mutual trust.

It was for sure unconventional and something weaved by greater forces. And yet I see there are steps and principles that others can follow to bring this kind of work into schools, especially if we’re willing to be creative, respectful and very intentional about safety.

So if you do want to go down this path, here is what you need to know:

Who This Guide Is For (And Who It’s Not Yet For)

This post is mainly written for people who are already working in some way as educators, space-holders or practitioners, people who:

• Are in the fields of health, wellness, embodiment, or mental/emotional wellbeing

• Have a holistic lens and a lived, integrated relationship with their own body and cycles

• Already carry wisdom, tools, and experience that they’ve been sharing with adults (or older teens)

• Have at least some practice holding groups or circles and know what it’s like to sit with big emotions and tender stories

In other words: this is for those who are already “mid-journey,” not at the very first step.

If you’re brand new, have never held a women’s circle, don’t have experience with group processes and don’t yet have a grounded understanding of hormonal health, sex education, or trauma awareness, then your next step is probably not “go straight into a school.”

Your next step might likely look like to:

• Sit in circles yourself

• Learn from mentors

• Hold spaces with adults first

• Study the body, consent, trauma and facilitation

So that, when you do eventually sit with teens, you are coming from embodiment and not theory (or Instagram Reels only, wink wink*)

Working with youth is beautiful and powerful, and it’s also high-stakes.

There are parents, school policies, cultural and religious sensitivities and legal frameworks around safeguarding. The last thing you want is to stumble into a situation where an angry parent is calling the school, the police, or a lawyer because they feel blindsided by what happened in a session.

I don't say this to scar you obviously, but it does mean you should be mindful.

Teen spaces are not playgrounds for our unprocessed stuff or our experimental facilitation. They are places where we bring our clearest, most integrated selves, backed by:

• solid ethics

• awareness of rules and guidelines

• humility to refer out when something is beyond our scope

Youth work is holy work and with that comes a responsibility to really know what you’re doing or to be honest that you’re still preparing!

The Reality: Sensitive Topics Need Solid Containers

As I mentioned, talking about hormonal health, cyclical living and sex is NOT neutral territory. These topics touch directly or indirectly:

• Family values

• Religion and culture

• Trauma and shame

• Legal and safeguarding boundaries

And Schools, even the alternative ones care deeply about three things:

1. Safety

2. Legitimacy

3. Benefit to students

If you want to bring “unconventional” work into a conventional structure, you need to show that you honour all three.

That means your path might be unconventional, but your ethics and standards cannot be.

Teens Want Simplicity and Respect

One thing I’m learning from my precious time with them is that with teens, we don’t need to be impressive, dramatic or intense.

In fact, a lot of the time simpler is safer.

You can absolutely use very basic, almost “elementary” frameworks with them:

• Simple diagrams of the cycle or hormones

• Clear, plain-language explanations

• Easy check-ins like “red / yellow / green” for how they’re feeling

• Very basic grounding tools: a breath, a stretch, a shake-out

They don’t need a whole PhD-level lecture on endocrinology.
They need concepts that are light, digestible and usable in their actual lives.

At the same time, teens also really hate being treated like little kids.
They’re in that in-between space: not fully adults, but no longer children.

So the sweet spot is:

• Simple frameworks, adult tone.

• Softness, with vulnerability and realness.

• Fun and approachable without talking down to them.

The point is:

You don’t need to create intense, cathartic, life-changing moments every time.
You don’t need to dig for trauma or go as deep as you would in an adult healing retreat.

For teens, the medicine can be:

• A space where they feel respected and not judged

• A few key truths about their bodies and boundaries

• A circle where they can exhale and be honest for an hour

Fun, simple, gentle, grounded.
That’s more than enough.

How To Bring Sacred Circles Into Schools

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Role & Your Lane

Before ever approaching a school, get really clear with yourself:

Who are you serving?

• Teens? Pre-teens? Mixed ages?

• Are you holding women’s circles, men’s circles, all-gender circles?

• What group size feels safe and manageable (e.g. 8–15-30 students)?

What exactly are you offering?

Instead of vague “I want to hold space for teens,” best to clarify the topics that will be held and can be touched in each circle:

• Menstrual and cyclical health education

• Hormonal health basics

• Sex education / consent / boundaries

• Emotional regulation & relational skills

• Gender-specific circles (e.g. for boys/men or girls/women around emotional literacy, sexuality and healthy masculinity/femininity)

What are you not doing?

This is just as important, especially for schools and parents:

• You are not offering therapy (unless you’re licensed).

• You are not providing medical treatment or diagnosis (unless you’re qualified to).

• You are not there to convert students to a spiritual path or belief system.

You can work deeply, vulnerably, intellectually, spiritually even, but be very precise about the scope of your work.

Clear lanes and solid boundaries build trust all way-round.

Step 2: Take Safeguarding Seriously

“Unconventional” doesn’t get to mean “casual about safety”

If anything, the more radical and healing your work is, the stronger your grounding needs to be.

Things that help massively:

• Relevant trainings: Sex education, FAM Birth Control Method, menstrual health, Youth work, trauma-informed facilitation, coaching, etc.

• Background checks: Whatever is appropriate and required in your country/region for working with minors.

• Safeguarding basics:

  • What happens if a student discloses abuse or self-harm?

  • What are your legal reporting duties?

  • How do you handle confidentiality with teens and parents?

• Clear boundaries:

  • No secret 1:1 meetings in private spaces.

  • No private messaging with students outside agreed channels with the school.

  • You remain in collaboration with the school, not outside of it.

This is what allows your magic to be trusted.

Step 3: Translate Your Work Into “School Language”

The way we talk about our work in our own circles is often… not the way a principal or school board needs to hear it.

For example:

• “Sacred sexuality” → healthy relationships & consent

• “Womb wisdom / feminine awakening” → menstrual health & emotional wellbeing

• “Men’s work, women's work, dismantling patriarchy” → healthy masculinity, healthy femininity, emotional literacy and respect

Rather than diluting the medicine you are finding a language that translates it so doors can open.

Step 4: Create a Simple 1-Page Proposal

This is so useful to have ready. You can send it via an email, bring it to a meeting with the school directors, or share it with a parent who wants to advocate for you.

An example structure could be:

Title

• “Cyclical Health & Wellbeing Circles for Teens”

• “Healthy Relationships & Emotional Literacy Circles”

• “Menstrual Health & Body Literacy for Teens”

Who It’s For:

• Age range (e.g. 14–18)

• Voluntary / opt-in only

Why It Matters:

• Builds body literacy and confidence

• Reduces shame around puberty, menstruation, sexuality

• Supports emotional regulation and mental wellbeing

• Encourages respectful relationships and consent culture

• Helps students navigate peer pressure and social media

Format

• Frequency (e.g. weekly / bi-weekly)

• Duration (60–90 minutes)

• Group size (8–16)

• Voluntary attendance with clear parental consent

Topics (Headlines Only)

• Hormonal & menstrual health basics

• Body literacy and understanding changes in puberty

• Consent, communication and boundaries

• Emotional literacy, self-worth and relationships

• For boys/men’s circles: emotional expression, respect for bodies/boundaries, unpacking stereotypes, porn literacy (age-appropriate, school-approved)

Safeguarding & Ethics

• Limits of confidentiality

• How you handle disclosures and reporting

• Collaboration with school counsellor/psychologist

Your Background

• Training, experience, relevant work

• Any testimonials or feedback (from parents, students, or other schools / groups)

This 1-page document tells the school:

“I know what I’m doing, I know why it matters, and I know how to keep your students safe.”

Step 5: Start With Relationships, Not Institutions

My way in was through a mother.

That’s actually how a lot of this kind of work enters schools.

Some starting points for you could be:

• Parents you already know

• School counsellors or wellbeing coordinators

• Teachers sympathetic to mental health, sex-ed, or alternative education

• Community leaders who are connected to local schools

Instead of emailing a generic admin address, try to find an actual human who cares about wellbeing, social-emotional learning and/or sex education.

Step 6: Offer a Small Pilot, Not a Full Program

Schools are much more likely to say yes to: “Could I offer one or two pilot circles for a small, voluntary group of students so you can see how it feels?”

than to: “I’d like to roll out a full-year program for every student.”

Make it low risk:

• Short pilot

• Clear structure

• Open to feedback

• Staff are welcome to sit in

Let your work speak for itself. That’s often what opens the door for more.

Step 7: Be Clear That Participation Is an Invitation, Not a Requirement

In the school I partner up with, only those who want to be there come to the circles.

That’s intentional.

Voluntary participation:

• Respects different family values and comfort levels

• Tends to create safer, more honest spaces

• Reassures the school that you’re not trying to push an agenda on unwilling students

You might say:

“These circles are invitation-only, not mandatory. We’ll share a clear description with parents and students beforehand and only those who choose to participate will attend.”

For sensitive topics, this is often the difference between “No way hoesay” and “Let’s try it.”

“Unconventional” Ways to Kickstart This Work (If School Doors Feel Closed)

Sometimes the direct approach into schools feels like running into a brick wall. In that case, try side doors:

1. Start Outside the School System

You can begin with:

• Community centers

• Homeschooling networks

• Youth groups

• Weekend workshops for teens (with parents’ permission)

Then, once you’ve run a few, you’ll have:

• Feedback from teens

• Testimonials from parents

• A clearer sense of what works

That becomes your evidence when you go back to schools and say:

“Here’s what I’ve been doing with teens in the community, and here’s the impact.”

2. Work With Parents and Teachers First

Sometimes the easiest way into youth spaces is through the adults around them:

• Mother–daughter menstrual circles

• Father–son evenings about emotions and identity

• Workshops for parents on supporting teens through puberty

• Teacher wellbeing circles

When the adults feel the depth and safety of your work, they become your advocates.

3. Co-Facilitate Before You Lead

If walking in solo feels like too much, ask if you can:

• Join an existing sex-ed or wellbeing class as a guest facilitator

• Co-create a session with a school counsellor or nurse

• Offer a short “circle segment” inside a broader program

Over time, as trust builds, your piece can grow.

This Work Is Necessary And You Are Necessary

What I keep learning about my time with these incredible youths is that teenagers are hungry for real conversations.

About their bodies, their cycles, their desires, their boundaries, their emotions, their confusion.

And circles when held with integrity, can be life-changing.

If you feel called to bring this into schools, just like I do, it's because you’re sensing a genuine gap. And desiring to receive the type of education you've never received in your own young years.

The world may not be fully ready in every place yet. Some doors will close. Some emails won’t get answered. Some institutions will say no.

But other doors will open.
Some parents will advocate for you.
Some alternative schools, community spaces or brave staff members will be willing to experiment.

Start where you are. Start small and start safely.

And trust that even one circle, with a handful of teens, can ripple far beyond what you can see.

I hope this was helpful to gain clarity on your next steps,

Always love,
Jasmine x