Building Blocks for Resilience

This professional development training is designed to help educators and youth service providers develop and carry out mindfulness-based activities in their classrooms and programs.

Apply now

When schools are stressed, the mental and emotional health of all are compromised.

This innovative training is designed to help educators and youth-workers understand the effects of chronic stress both on themselves and the youth in their care. We’ll explore how mind-body practices can help develop emotional resilience using movement, breath and awareness-based activities that can be done in just a few short minutes each day.

The training will:

  • Address the needs of both staff and students
  • Cultivate an understanding of how stress and traumatic stress affect bodies, brains and behaviours
  • Develop strategies for educators’ self care, emotional regulation and resilience utilizing movement, breath and awareness (MBA) based tools
  • Prepare educators to deliver short MBA practices in the classroom

How It Works

We offer this training in person or online. The in-person version consists of two 3-hour sessions or one 6-hour session; the virtual offering consists of four 2-hour sessions via Zoom.

Our fee is $2,000 with a maximum of 40 participants.

Apply to have New Leaf Foundation offer this training to your staff.

This training is suitable for educators, social workers, CYC/Ws and other youth-service providers, and parents.

Apply

Part One

Part one covers the impacts of stress on staff wellness and supports the cultivation of a daily mindfulness practice to build mental, emotional and physical health. Participants will learn:

  • How stress affects the body and brain
  • The difference between regulated and unregulated stress
  • Windows of tolerance
  • Tools to promote staying within your window of tolerance
  • Guidelines for self-practice

Part Two

Part two breaks down the impact of chronic stress on the bodies, brains and behaviours of children and youth, fostering a deeper understanding of how stress can negatively impact a young person’s ability to thrive. Staff will be supported in building short, digestible mindfulness-based activities to support the youth they serve. Participants will learn:

  • Trauma’s effects on the bodies, brains and behaviours of children
  • Dysregulation and learning
  • How to create ‘safer’ spaces for students
  • Resilience-building practices for the classroom

The training was created by New Leaf’s Executive Director, Laura Sygrove, RSW, and Senior Training Faculty, Julia Gibran, RSW, B.Ed.  Read their bios ➞

What Participants Say

“When I didn't do some breathing exercises at the end of gym class, the students would notice and remind me.”
Participant
Building Blocks for Resilience
“The lessons and ideas were very beneficial to both myself and the students. I've created a binder with all the emails/suggestions I received from you and plan to utilize it in the future.”
Participant
Building Blocks for Resilience
“Thank you for teaching me how to help kids deal with the trauma they faced and continue to face daily.”
Participant
Building Blocks for Resilience
"I focused on breath when students came in from recess as a way to get them calm and ready for learning. I used movement in the midst of a lesson that was too lengthy and required students to sit for too long. This helped re-energize them!"
Participant
Building Blocks for Resilience
"I feel I understand more why children behave the way they do. I have more strategies to better help them cope and excel in school and life."
Participant
Building Blocks for Resilience
“I think it’s a great program that would be beneficial to all teachers.”
Participant
Building Blocks for Resilience