SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
& MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
USEFUL LEARNINGS
This section of the website is meant to provide information about topics that should not be left out in the conversation about mental health and social emotional learning.
STORYTELLING
Storytelling is in simple words the art of telling stories, to tell a story with a purpose. It helps to cultivate empathy and compassion in people. Using storytelling to elevate the importance of social emotional learning and mental health awareness can be a power tool because it will help to understand in a more meaningful way the impact that these mechanisms have on people. Additionally, with storytelling we can break the stigma around mental health and what it feels to leave with a mental illness. This will allow a society that little by little is less afraid to speak up about mental health concerns and a more kindness to every individual. At the same time, having people speaking on their experiences can help others to feel less lonely and empower them to seek for help and have an early intervention before the situation escalates. On the other way, speaking on how social emotional learning can transform lives can inspire governments to invest more in this educational method and transform education systems around the globe.
"Our stories can become healing stories for other people "
Ashanti Branch
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
Indigenous Knowledge is based on how indigenous communities perceived the world around them. Indigenous system are very different compared to western education systems. To being with, traditional schooling is individualistic and promotes competitiveness among their students often portrayed on how they rank student success based on their test scores. On the other hand, indigenous knowledge systems are more cooperative, holistic, and experiential process. The root of their education is based on the wellbeing of the child and their emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual development. They care about the human being and how their education is going to impact them for their lives, personal growth, and their communities rather than how the person is going to contribute to the work force as traditional education does. Including Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the conversation helps to inspire systems at what they should focus: the individual, the student.
"For many indigenous communities the goal of education has always been to nurture the wellbeing of the whole child, including their emotional, mental, physical and spiritual development"
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness helps us to pay attention at the present moment by using different techniques such as meditation, breathing, among others. Apart from that, it allow us to be aware of our emotions and thoughts. In that way, people who practice mindfulness are able to regulate their emotions impacting directly in our behavior, our relationship with others, reduce anxiety and stress levels, and help with physical problems. When integrated with social emotional learning (SEL), mindfulness can bring powerful results since it will be the foundation to let the other five competencies of SEL grow. As an example, student will increase their emotion regulation skills, have more empathy instead of feeling overwhelmed, or become more compassionate. With mental health, mindfulness can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and prevent depressive relapse. It helps to feel calmer and cope better with difficult thoughts.
"You can't stop the waves but you can learn how to surf "
Jon Kabat-Zim
RESTORATIVE CIRCLES
In the last years, the roles of the teacher inside schools have gone beyond instructing a subject and escalated to the point to be asked to practice “circle conversations” where students discuss in a circle deeply personal questions. However, the practice of these conversations can remind of a group therapy session and leave teachers in an uncomfortable positon of performing a role they have never been trained to do and to the vulnerability to facing a situation they do not know how to response. In that way, restorative circles can produce more harm than good. In the end, the purpose of having counselors in school are for them to address these challenges and understand the students in a more individualized way. Thus, schooling systems rather than asking teachers to perform these type of activities, they should invest more in provide more staff capacitated in mental health struggles —counselors, physchologists, social workers.