Tools for well-being at school for children, teachers, and families

The primary objective of our project was to establish a small transnational cooperation partnership aimed at addressing common needs and priorities in school education, specifically focusing on im...

The primary objective of our project was to establish a small transnational cooperation partnership aimed at addressing common needs and priorities in school education, specifically focusing on improving children's well-being and mental health. This was accomplished by providing teachers and parents with the necessary tools and techniques to better support children in their transition from school to adulthood. Additionally, the project emphasized social inclusion by targeting individuals living in rural and remote areas with fewer opportunities. We aimed at: 1. Strengthening the capacity of the 3 partners to work transnationally and across sectors by developing a comprehensive toolbox of mindfulness guided meditations, games, instructions, and manuals, and making these resources available through a web platform. 2. Enhancing the inclusion of underserved target groups by involving them in testing the Mindfulness and Meditation Toolbox (MMT) and participating in project activities such as summer camp, thus providing them access to the Program. 3. Encouraging collaboration between teachers and families by involving them in the co-creation process, MMT testing, and summer camp.

Activities Implemented in the Project: Project Management: Ensured effective coordination, monitoring, and evaluation across all stages of the project, including regular partner meetings, communication, and budget management. Design of the Mindful Meditation Programme (MMP): Collaboratively developed guided meditation practices and mindful games through a co-creation process involving teachers, children, parents, psychologists, and mindfulness experts. This included the creation of trilingual scripts, audio recordings, and implementation instructions. Development of the Platform: Created a trilingual web platform (meditationforkids.online) to host all project resources, including guided meditations, scripts, games, and instructional materials, making them freely accessible to a wide audience. Piloting with the Target Group: Conducted pilot testing of the MMP with children, teachers, and parents in various settings to refine the program based on feedback and ensure its effectiveness. Promotion: Launched a comprehensive dissemination campaign, including social media engagement, media coverage, webinars, and the creation of educational materials, to raise awareness of the MMP and its benefits for children's mental health.

Online networking meetings for the exchange of knowledge and best practices; Trilingual web platform for accessing project results developed: www.meditationforkids.online 70 children attended the Summer Camp, the project covered the costs of 5 children, 5 teachers/trainers, and 5 parents. The Summer Camp, held in Yundola on Rhodopi Mountain, provided an excellent opportunity for children from disadvantaged groups and rural areas to collaborate with children from larger communities. Two representatives from our Portuguese partner attended the Camp, leading the testing and demonstrating mindful games to accompany the meditation sessions. A methodology for using mindfulness meditation and games in schools, training centres, and at home, as a detailed program, available in Bulgarian, English, and Portuguese, was created and made available to a larger public through the website; MMT tested in schools in Bulgaria and Portugal, in an extracurricular activity centre in Bulgaria, and in 1 social institution in Bulgaria; 13 distinct scripts for Guided MM for kid, accompanied by instructions and user manuals were created. Scripts are available in Bulgarian, Portuguese and English and can be downloaded from the website.