By Mark Bertin Kids and screen time cause considerable parental angst these days—and for good reason. Research shows children spend on average seven hours a day glued to computer, tablet, smart phone, or television screens. This reality has created such a stir that last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its decade-old recommendation […]
Welcome to the Bridging Blog.
Here, we hope you'll appreciate the insightful contributions of our conference presenters, who've offered perspectives on mindfulness in education, clinical practice, research, and more.
Sparking the Light of Compassion
By Tanuka Gordon Often when we think of “product design” or “service design” we think of designing tangible goods or services that people use. What if helping our children be more compassionate, be more mindful could also be viewed as a service; and what if it was not just a service but an experience that […]
How Compassionate and Collaborative Intention Supports your Work with Youth
By Michelle Palladini I always believed that my job as a School Resource Officer was about serving and protecting youth in my community with compassion and understanding. However, I learned many people believe this position contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. Some have articulated that police are not qualified to work in schools, and worse, that […]
Social-Emotional Learning Leads to Academic Success
by Michelle Benedict Have you ever walked into a classroom of chaos? How did that feel as the adult in the room? How do you think it feels as a student? Learning in today’s classroom environment is quite different from 30 years ago when I sat in a fourth grade classroom. I remember the level of […]
Clear Seeing: Authenticity and Presence with Youth
by Bruce Neustadter Early on in my work as a therapist I had a mother and a son come to my office. The mom told me that her fifteen-year-old son was unwilling to talk. Before the session, he made it clear to her that he would not utter a word in therapy. I was intrigued and […]
A Flame of Hope
by Caverly Morgan During a time in which many struggle with a sense of hopelessness, I feel honored to share with you a deep optimism. This is not an optimism based on a fairytale or blind faith. It is rooted in experience. Our current generation of teenagers is learning how to pave the way for […]
Embodied mindfulness is critical for empowering teachers to support student well-being in an unstable world
by Jane Mayer, The Teaching Well “Well! That sounds like quite the luxury.” “So… you bring wellness techniques we can use for students?” “Wow! You push into professional development time to support teacher well-being. Is there enough time? How do they fit it in?” Kelly, our Executive Director, and I love students (extraordinarily). We […]
Let’s Talk About Your Practice: Qualities and Qualifications for Sharing Mindfulness with Youth
By Dr. Amy Saltzman Last week I was completing a 10-week Still Quiet Place course with 30 teachers from a local high school. The principal is committed to bringing mindfulness to the entire school population in a meaningful and sustainable way. Thus, we began with the course for teachers. The intentions for this course were […]
The Call for Compassion
If we are truly being mindful, we cannot ignore the need for more compassionate practices when caring for youth.
The Significance of Sensitivity
By LeesaMaree Bleicher “In the depth of winter; I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer” –Albert Camus Wearing a stark white cloak against an every shade of blue sky, winter bares the burden of revealing sensitivity to the world. With little to no adornment, winter paints sensitivity with soft wispy clouds, […]