Our Vision
Our Vision is to create experiences that:
Develop a deep appreciation for and belonging to nature and our communities.
Promote resilience by addressing emotions arising from current challenges (e.g. pandemic, climate crises, peer pressure, screen addiction, test anxiety, conflict).
Raise awareness about interdependence, diversity, identity, perspective-taking and implicit bias, and introduce council circle and restorative practices.
Foster resilient agency to create ambassadors of the Earth and encourage wise climate actions through awareness of our interconnected outer and inner worlds.
We envision ...
School culture infused with mindfulness and compassion, where students feel safe, supported, and engaged.
Capable, productive, and creative learners, whose curiosity leads to academic success.
Self-aware human beings capable of staying present, calm and focused to persevere in the face of challenges and uncertainty.
Harmonious school communities that create and nurture meaningful relationships and care for one and other.
Effectiveness
By teaching these skills to students, teachers, administrators, and parents:
Burnout is prevented due to increasingly resilient and positive mindsets.
Skills learned at school can be brought to home and other settings.
Students and teachers are busy! Why add another thing to learn?
Brief but regular mindfulness practice will pay dividends through more calm and focused work.
Why Kind Mind?
With deep concern, we are responding to the increased stress, depression, risk of suicidal tendencies, self-harm and reactivity in our youth. For many, these symptoms lead to disengagement, lack of belonging and isolation.
Many students struggle with inattention, distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It is frustrating to be reminded to “pay attention” and “calm down” when not knowing how. Mindful attention training improves the ability to notice when the mind wanders and bring attention back to learning. Students gain an ability of becoming aware of their internal environment. As self-knowledge improves, they have a choice of responding instead of reacting. These are fundamental life skills for academic achievement and social competence.
To guard against the many stresses of modern life, especially the influence of social media, such as bullying, multitasking and constant distractions, students learn how to skillfully respond to emotional triggers and preserve inner balance.
To ease the sense of isolation, we inspire awe experiences in nature, and teach about our interdependence with nature and each other.
Emotional and attentional regulation, as well as compassion and caring toward self, others and the Earth are foundational life skills in this uncertain, fast-changing world.