Heart-Mind Well-Being Foundational Workshop

Heart-Mind Well Being is the term used by the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace + Education (DLC) to refer to creating a balance between educating the mind and educating the heart. While there is a great focus in our society on academic achievement, research has demonstrated the positive impacts of social and emotional learning and, in fact, that heart and mind learning are interconnected.

Research also shows that it is possible to foster positive human qualities such as compassion, confidence and kindness- and we can help children manage difficult emotions such as fear, anger and anxiety. We can successfully create conditions in schools and communities that build capacity in children to recognize their emotions, to understand and empathize with others, to behave in prosocial ways, and to make constructive choices. There is a growing body of knowledge that provides information about how each of these qualities develops in children, and how we can influence their positive development in families, classrooms and early childhood programs.

This workshop explores the Heart-Mind Well-Being Framework that graphically defines what the DLC means by the term ‘Heart-Mind well-being’. This framework was created through a series of consultations with child development experts and psychologists during the design of a population-monitoring tool called the Heart-Mind Index (HMI). DLC has taken the lead on translating and sharing emerging research that aims to shine a light on how to promote Heart-Mind well-being of children and youth in communities across British Columbia.

Workshop Objectives

• Define Heart-Mind well-being and describe the five positive human qualities that comprise the HMWB Framework.
• Identify the four primary ways that we can influence the well-being of children.
• Explore strategies and practices that promote well-being.
• Use the DLC website “Heart-Mind Online” to find information and resources that educate the hearts of children.