Millions Of Classrooms In 180 Countries To Take Part In "The World's Largest Mindful Moment"

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, millions of classrooms around the world will take part in the first-ever global mindfulness lesson, available on ClassDojo. Starting at 11am local time in Australia and finishing 20 hours later at 11am in Hawaii, children in 180 countries will take part in custom-designed mindfulness exercises and breathing activities, creating The World's Largest Mindful Moment in classrooms across the globe.

Teachers and families around the world recognize that mental well-being is critical for children's health and happiness.

In a new survey ClassDojo conducted in the U.S., UK, and Australia*, 64% of families and 63% of teachers said that helping children manage feelings of anxiety is just as important as school work; 29% of families and 32% of teachers said it was even more important. Numerous studies have shown how mindfulness helps children reduce stress - as well as having other transformative benefits like developing a greater capacity for concentration and patience.

"My role is as much focused on mental well-being as it is learning. Helping my students develop the skills they'll need to reduce anxiety, care about the feelings of others, and be self-aware are all traits I know will benefit them for the rest of their lives," said Cindy Price, a first grade teacher in Delaware. "I've wanted to teach mindfulness for a long time, but I haven't been able to find something that my students will love and easily understand. ClassDojo's Mindfulness lessons are exactly what I've wanted - we've had a sneak peek, and my children love it! I have a feeling we'll be using these activities for months to come."

The World's Largest Mindful Moment will take place on Friday, May 10th, with a new ClassDojo Mindfulness series - called "A Mindful Moment" - produced in collaboration with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and UK mental health nonprofit Beyond Shame, Beyond Stigma. It is the first time classrooms around the world will take part in a mindfulness lesson together.

"Mindfulness has been shown to benefit children's overall well-being, yet teachers and families were telling us they hadn't found resources that were right for their children," said Liam Don, co-founder of ClassDojo. "A Mindful Moment is a simple way for children everywhere to learn mindfulness in school and at home. Today, ClassDojo teachers, children, and families in millions of classrooms across 180 countries are bringing mindfulness to their classrooms. It's an amazing moment to be a part of."

Further mindfulness activities will be released the week of May 13th. Each will be translated into multiple languages and will walk children through simple, 10-15 minute audio exercises like 'Mindful Breathing' and 'Mindful Listening.'

"When children practice mindfulness, they're more at ease, and more focused in the classroom and in life," said Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of Permission to Feel. "My hope is that our partnership in 'A Mindful Moment' with ClassDojo will introduce tens of millions more teachers, children, and families around the world to the transformative benefits of this important practice."

For more information on A Mindful Moment, visit https://www.classdojo.com/mindfulmoment/.

* Results from ClassDojo survey of 3,000 parents and 2,500 teachers conducted March 2019:

• Student anxiety is common: 92% of teachers say their students have experienced anxiety about school life.
• Mental well-being is now as important as schoolwork: 64% of parents and 63% of teachers say learning how to manage feelings of anxiety is now equally as important as school work - 29% of parents and 32% of teachers say it's even more important.
• Parents are turning to mindfulness and seeing results: Two-thirds (67%) of parents say they practice mindfulness with their children at home - with 96% saying it's been beneficial. Specific benefits include: better at handling emotions (63%), calmer (42%), happier (36%), greater focus (31%), and increased empathy (28%).
• Parents and teachers overwhelmingly agree that schools should teach mindfulness: 93% of parents say that having a mindfulness program at school would be beneficial for their children and 92% of teachers say they would be interested in mindfulness lessons for the classroom.

About ClassDojo
ClassDojo's long-term vision is to help every child on Earth get an education they love. Founded in 2011 and based in San Francisco, California, ClassDojo is the most popular communication app for primary schools around the world. It helps teachers, families, and kids share more often and more positively about what's happening at school and at home - including photos, videos, messages, and positive feedback. Today, 95% of pre K-8 schools in the U.S., as well as a further 180 countries, have joined ClassDojo. To learn more, visit: classdojo.com or Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Emotions drive learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, and health. The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence uses the power of emotions to create a healthier, and more equitable, productive, and compassionate society, today and for future generations. We conduct research and design educational approaches that support people of all ages in developing emotional intelligence and the skills to thrive and contribute to society. Our signature approach to social and emotional learning, RULER, has been shown to decrease stress and to enhance both school climate and academic achievement. To learn more, visit: http://ei.yale.edu/ or Facebook and Twitter.

About Beyond Shame, Beyond Stigma
Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma is a new charity created by renowned British mental health advocates Jonny Benjamin MBE and Neil Laybourn. Set up to help young people, their families and educators, Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma aims to provide the help currently lacking in mental health provision by giving grants to small organisations and individuals who do amazing mental health related work in their community. To learn more visit beyondshamebeyondstigma.co.uk

SOURCE ClassDojo