Mindfulness with young Mindfulness with young peoplepeople

Michael Bready youthmindfulness.co.ukMichael Bready youthmindfulness.co.uk

What do schools teach?

What do you wish for your children?

There is a crisis of ill-being.

Wellbeing is supportive of other desired outcomes.

Wellbeing has an intrinsic value.

What is wellbeing?What is wellbeing?

“A combination of feeling good and doing well.”

courage

confidencewisdom

resilience

forgiveness

compassion

kindness zest

leadershipcuriositygratitude

leadership

““All our life, so far as it has All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of definite form, is but a mass of

habits.”habits.”William JamesWilliam James

“…“…we are what we repeatedly do. we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a Excellence, then, is not an act but a

habit.”habit.”

Will Durant on Aristotle Will Durant on Aristotle

Can we influence this process?

Mind and brain

"the single most important change in our understanding of the human brain in 400 years."

NeuroplasticityNeuroplasticity

~ Norman Doidge, Colombia University

What is mindfulness? What is mindfulness?

Intention Attention Attitude

Youth Mindfulness Kids Youth Mindfulness Kids ProgrammeProgramme

16 lessons

Delivered twice weekly

50-60 minutes each

Intention14

AttentionAttitude

Gratitude

Kindness to self

Kindness to others

Purpose

Resilience

Art of happiness Art of suffering

1

2 & 3

4, 5, & 6

9 & 107 & 8

11 & 12

13 & 14

15 & 16

“Everyone in the world should get mindfulness, everyone would be happy.”

“Mindfulness is amazing…it helps you calm down.”

“Mindfulness makes me think before I act.”

“Mindfulness will make me a better person.”

“When you do it, you feel more open. It also helps with anger,

sadness, irritation, and lots more stuff.”

“A mindful mind is calm, gentle and kind.”

“Mindfulness is the best way to stay calm and happy.”

“I am now more peaceful and I don’t get as frustrated or angry

as I used to.”

“I was quite tense and we did mindfulness and I felt all relaxed

and happy for the rest of the day.”

“When I got angry I nearly punched someone then I did

mindfulness, calmed down and everything was better.”

ResearchResearchEarly stages

There are encouraging signs:

Reductions in:•Aggression•Hostility•Anxiety•Stress•Behavioural problems

Improvements in:•Emotional regulation•Attention•Self-acceptance•Executive function•Social and emotional competencies

Mindfulness with Young Offenders Mindfulness with Young Offenders

Inner Strength ProgrammeInner Strength Programme

Ten 90-120 minute weekly sessions

Key factors

Relationship

Respect

Positive emotion

Consistency

“…its going to sound kind of cheesy but it felt like I was safe when I was coming to

these mindfulness classes.”

Toward an Toward an ecological model for ecological model for

wellbeingwellbeing

“Our children learn reading, writing, math, science, and other subjects in school that can help them earn a living. But very few school programs teach young people how to live – how to deal with anger, how to reconcile conflicts, how to breathe, smile, and transform internal formations. There needs to be a revolution in education. We must encourage schools to train our students in the art of living in peace and harmony. It isn’t easy to learn to read, write, or solve math problems, but children manage to do it. Learning how to breathe, smile and transform anger can also be difficult, but I have seen many young people succeed. If we teach children properly, by the time they are around twelve, thet will know how to live harmoniously with others.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh