SUMMER MINDFULNESS SERIES
Each summer COSEM wants to help coordinate a wide variety of mindfulness trainings throughout the US, with a focus on those led by educators, called the Summer Mindfulness Series. We also want to promote all of the other wonderful trainings led by mindfulness organizations around the globe.
For our first summer, the IL Chapter of COSEM put together multiple days of offerings from July 10-16, 8:30-3:30 each day, all in the Chicago area (see flyer below). We did not receive enough RSVPs to run these offerings. In the future, as our state chapters grow, we hope this webpage will also include workshops, trainings and retreats organized by other state chapters, with the number of summer offerings increasing each year.
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Here are in-person summer events happening across the US in the summer of 2019 (let us know if we missed any):
June 21 Rocky Hill School Mindfulness Conference in East Greenwich, RI
June 21-23 ChildLight Yoga & Mindfulness for Children Teacher Training in Chelsea, MI (many other summer dates and locations)
June 22-25 Yoga Calm Summer Intensive in Portland, OR
June 23-28 Holistic Life Foundation Youth Yoga and Mindfulness Training at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY
June 27-30 Mindful Schools Summer Retreat in Big Bear, CA
June 28-July 17 Breathe for Change 200 hr Wellness and Yoga Training for Educators in Chicago, IL and Madison, WI
July 11-16 IL Chapter of COSEM Summer Mindfulness Series in Chicago area/TBA
July 12-14 Mindfulness & Education Conference at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY
July 13-14 Childlight Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools Teacher Training in Dover, NH
July 14-19 Greater Good Science Center Summer Institute for Educators in Berkeley, CA
July 15-19 Learning and The Brain's Weeklong Intensive Making Mindfulness Stick in Schools in Boston, MA
July 15-16 ChildLight Yoga & Mindfulness for Tweens and Teens Teacher Training in Dover, NH
July 17-18 ILASCD and Mindful Practices SEL in Schools Summit in Oak Park, IL
July 19-21 Social Equity in Schools at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY
July 20-21 Little Flower Yoga Foundations of Children's Yoga Level 1 Training in Salt Lake City, UT
July 20-21 Kidding Around Yoga Kids Yoga Teacher Training in Chicago, IL
July 22-26 Mindfulness in Education Teacher Training at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY
July 23-25 Yoga 4 Classrooms IMPLEMENT Leader Program in Dover, NH
July 29-August 2 CARE for Teachers 13th Annual Retreat at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY
August 1-4 Waynflete School's Teachings in Mindful Explorations (TiME) in Hurricane Island, Maine
August 2-9 Little Flower Yoga Weeklong Training Intensive at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY
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These orgs have in-person events at various times and places all summer long (too many to list above):
Inward Bound Mindfulness Education Teen, Young Adult and Adult Retreats
ChildLight Yoga & Mindfulness for Children Teacher Trainings
Kidding Around Yoga Kids Yoga Teacher Training
Breathe for Change 200 hr Wellness and Yoga Training for Educators
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June 2019-June 2020 Inward Bound Mindfulness Education Yearlong Mindfulness Teacher Training in Charlton & Concord, MA
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Non-summer events can be viewed on our Other Events page under the More tab. Use the form on that page to submit an event.
Mindfulness and Well-Being in Schools: Start Here
What is mindfulness? What are its benefits? What research supports these claims? What’s the most effective way to integrate mindfulness into schools, classrooms, and instruction? In this two-day workshop for school leaders, wellness teams and all educators, Dr. Matt Dewar, well-being coordinator at Lake Forest High School, will share his own experience implementing mindfulness at LFHS and walk you through how you might integrate mindfulness into your K-12 school community in a way that honors its unique environment, culture, and goals.
Learning Objectives:​
1. Clarify and define what “mindfulness” means.
2. Identify the benefits of research-based mindfulness practices.
3. Experience firsthand a number of mindfulness practices.
4. Explore ways to integrate mindfulness into your school, classroom, and/or curriculum.
5. Design a mindfulness implementation plan for your unique school, classroom, and/or curriculum.
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Dr. Matthew Dewar is the 18-19 President of COSEM and the founder of Journey 30K, a personal development platform that utilizes wellness and mindfulness strategies to transform individuals and organizations. Matthew is also a teacher, well-being coordinator, and learning facilitator at Lake Forest High School who has designed and implemented teacher professional development and school wellness curricula, including mindfulness-based wellness for faculty and students. Freshman at his high school take a year-long mindfulness-embedded Wellness for Life course that combines both Health and PE. Most recently, Matthew has created and implemented mindfulness programming for professional and collegiate athletes. His work has been featured on TEDx, NPR, Disrupt Health, and the National Wellness Institute’s podcast. He is the author of Education and Well-Being: An Ontological Inquiry.
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Watch Matt's Opening Talk on Friday of EMCON on our homepage.
Emotional Intelligence: Mindfulness as an Equity Tool
This workshop explores the foundation of emotional intelligence in order to help school leaders and teachers thrive and build the core skills needed for peak performance, especially as it relates to equity work and creating trauma-sensitive environments. We will explore components of mindfulness-based emotional intelligence, mental and emotional resilience, and engagement. In addition, participants will explore scientifically proven methods of mental conditioning and attention-training that improve creativity, communication, productivity, and personal and school/classroom leadership. Also, participants will learn varied mindfulness and reflection practices that support happiness, thriving and overall well-being. The result is enhanced self-awareness and authenticity, better communication skills, stronger relationship-building skills, and the ability to lead and teach with greater presence – which supports a better school environment and better school and stakeholder relationships.
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Outcomes:
1. How mindfulness can support deeper learning of equity work and cultural-proficiency to improve work with youth and people of color, resulting in greater authenticity, connection, and well-being;
2. How meditation, when used explicitly as an equity tool, can reduce unconscious bias, stereotype threat, and other factors impacting cultural responsiveness and equity work;
3. The science behind the effects of meditation on the brain and body;
4. How mindfulness practices benefit stress-reduction, happiness, health, and well-being…giving our lives and work a greater sense of ease, flow, and peace; and
5. A “tool kit” of practices and exercises that work immediately and beyond​​
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Tovi is a visionary educator, author, and award-winning urban high school principal with over 25 years of emotional intelligence and self-mastery experience. Currently, Tovi serves as California’s Regional Executive Director of Partners in School Innovation, where she leads the largest regional team to improve educational outcomes in the nation’s lowest-performing schools. She also serves as the founding co-director of the Association of CA School Administrators Equity Leaders Academy, and as ACSA’s Region 6 State Equity Representative. Further, Tovi is a founding co-teacher of the trauma-informed leadership course at Mills College, where she uses an integral approach of inside-out work and research-based best-practices of adult learning to develop emotionally intelligent and SEL-influenced educators with strong leadership capacity to ensure that we educate the whole child as well as support educators to live lives with greater peace, ease, and resilience. Before re-entering the non-profit sector, Tovi co-founded a fully-accredited independent Black school with 100% college-going rates and was an urban high school principal who led a complete school transformation with scalable, replicable strategies focused on culture-climate and academic-culture building. Tovi certified with Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.
Weekend Retreat for Educators
Friday pm-Sunday pm
July 12-14
LOCATION TBA
within 90 min of Chicago
WITH:
Tovi Scruggs-Hussein (see bio above) and Tracy Heilers
Exact details coming in mid-May
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Minimum 8 RSVPs needed by May 8 to run; payment then due by end of May
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Location based on number wanting to attend, within 90 min of Chicago; some ideas below
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Segments of retreat led by Tovi and Tracy as well as other educators attending retreat
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Intention is to let retreat unfold and be co-created along the way by those attending
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Approx cost $600/person-final number may change slighly based on location/# of attendees
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Tentative Schedule
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Leave Fri 4pm from host school
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Carpool/rent vans (those needing a ride will split cost on top of $600); eat out along the way
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Friday evening-intros, weekend intentions, silent practice, sharing
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Saturday morning-yoga with Tracy, silent practice, breakfast, sharing, time in nature
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Saturday afternoon-lunch, learning segment with Tovi, sharing/mentoring, yoga nidra
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Saturday evening-silent practice, dinner, brainstorm ideas for COSEM
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Sunday morning-yoga, silent practice, breakfast, learning segment with Tovi, time in nature
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Sunday afternoon-lunch, brainstorm ideas for COSEM
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Sunday approx 4pm head back to school/hotel; eat out along the way​
Retreat Location Ideas (share other ideas)
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Harbor Country, MI-https://www.inseus.com/green-light-center --- first choice if 20 or less
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Frankfort, IL; has labyrinth! https://www.portforprayer.org/retreat-house/
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George Williams College in Lake Geneva, WI http://www.gwcconferences.com/index.html#aboutus
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Mundelein, IL - St. Mary of the Lake https://usml.edu/visitors/
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Woodstock, IL Loyola University https://www.luc.edu/retreatcampus/packages/nonloyola/
Adolescent Mindfulness Group Counseling Curriculum Training
Monday, July 15
8:30-3:30
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LOCATION TBA
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LED BY:
Katie Wick
Learn mindfulness strategies to use in group counseling or as classroom lessons OR as staff PD sessions. Experience an 18 week adolescent mindfulness curriculum which includes mindful meditations and engaging activities to help students reduce stress and improve well-being. Lessons topics include understanding stress, rumination, autopilot​, gratitude, f​orgiveness, negative self-talk, befriending thoughts, promoting the positive , acceptance, goals, joy, seeing the big picture, and more.
This workshop is geared toward the middle and high school population but can be altered to fit with elementary ages.​​
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Katie Wick earned her Ph.D. in psychology with dissertation research on the effects of meditation on at-risk high school students. She has been a school counselor for 12 years both at the middle school and high school levels. She facilitates mindfulness counseling groups with adolescents, push ins to classrooms to offer mindfulness strategies, and provides professional development for school staff. In addition to her work with schools, she also provides corporate mindfulness “lunch and learns” for business employees to reduce stress.​
Yoga and Mindfulness in the Classroom (and Beyond)
In this interactive workshop, you will learn how to empower your students and yourself with increased self-awareness, the foundation for the development of skills of self-regulation and cognitive control. You will recognize signs of imbalance and gain the confidence and skills to proactively and effectively implement over 67 yoga and mindfulness-based activities including a mix of yoga postures, brain boosting movements, breath exercises, visualizations, mindfulness activities, creative movement and community-building games. Wellness, positive psychology and character-building discussion and reflection topics such as the power of positive thinking and gratitude, nutrition, and being a peacemaker, address the whole child while encouraging learning-readiness and positive social interactions.
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No yoga experience or yoga mat required. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoes as we'll be simulating a classroom experience. This fun and interactive workshop will relax and inspire you while providing you with tangible tools you can implement the very next school day!​
Participants will:
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Understand how stress and trauma affect learning and behavior.
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Access and utilize the growing evidence-base supporting the integration of yoga, mindfulness and meditation at school.
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Crosswalk mindful practices with a variety of school roles and educational standards, as well as school and district-wide goals such as the creation of safe and healthy schools.
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Understand the 5 critical steps to integrated self-regulation and its relationship to the science of neuroplasticity.
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Learn over 67 simple, classroom-friendly yoga and mindfulness techniques to support learning readiness and the development of social and emotional learning competencies and resilience.
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Gain strategies for improving classroom management and reducing behavior referrals by supporting both group and students’ individual needs.
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Become a more effective educator, counselor or therapist while supporting his/her own well-being.
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Access information, tools and resources for supporting buy-in and funding for sustainable, school-wide implementation.
Materials:
In addition to a program manual, note-taking guide, and certificate of completion, participants will also gain access a variety of invaluable resources. The supplemental Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Card Decks can be ordered in advance on Amazon or purchased on site at the conference. School/District orders of more than 10 are discounted through: www.yoga4classrooms.com
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