The fifteen selected innovations were curated from an application pool of over three hundred submissions, which were reviewed by HundrED’s independent Advisory Board. All fifteen programmes address Social-Emotional Learning and holistic Wellbeing, from different perspectives, from combating social/physical isolation and global issues such as natural and human-made disasters, to building self-esteem and handling academic pressure.
Through interviews with selected innovators and commentary from the Advisory board, we uncovered several factors taking a toll on students’ wellbeing as well as challenges innovators are facing in supporting it. Our findings reconfirm research conducted by the Wellbeing Centre at Oxford University.
HundrED Youth Ambassadors who reviewed innovations in this project highlighted how academic pressure, social isolation and disconnection, and global issues are negatively impacting their wellbeing. These reflections reinforce the need for Social and Emotional Learning skills and mental health support.
Innovators also spoke of barriers to the implementation of wellbeing initiatives in schools; while context plays a major role in existing hurdles to overcome, there were several red threads: securing stakeholder buy-in and funding; unresponsive educational structures; limited access to support services; and cultural and socioeconomic factors that de-emphasise the importance of young people’s holistic wellbeing.
Selected Innovations:
- Arts Practices for Inclusion
- Connected North
- Embedding wellbeing in Ethiopian schools
- Flying Colors
- The Happiness Lesson Integrated Programmes
- The Happiness Project
- Learn to Play - Ithute Go Tshameka
- Patio Vivo
- Reaching our Goals
- Roots of Empathy
- Sticks 'n Stones
- SuperBetter
- Switch4Schools
- Using Play to Better our World
- Wisdom: The World of Emotions
Read more about the selected innovations, innovator perspectives, and the steps that they’re taking to address wellbeing in schools in the Spotlight report.
