Mindful Kids Peace Summit Speaker Info
Helen Maffini • https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindBE/
http://helenmaffini.com/
https://mindbe-education.com/
Session Title: Adam and Helen Opening
Buy the Preschool Mindfulness Curriculum Here
Helen is the Director of MindBE Education and the creator of the MindBE Curriculum and the Thriving Kids Program, She is the host of the 2018 and 2019 Preschool Mindfulness Summit and Co-Author of Developing Children´s Emotional Intelligence and Sammy´s Next Move.
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Books: Developing Children’s Emotional Intelligence (Bloomsbury Education) |
Sammy’s Next Move: Sammy the snail is a travelling snail who lives in different countries  |
Adam Avin • http://www.wufshanti.com/
www.facebook.com/wufshanti
Session Title: Adam and Helen Opening and School Board Speech
Free Learning Resources:
Join the Kids Association for Mindfulness Education
Fifteen year old Adam Avin, created the Wuf Shanti Children’s Wellness Foundation, to teach mindfulness, so children can live in health and wellness, peace and positivity. Through videos, books, mobile app, music, fun, and games, children learn yoga, meditation, communication, inclusion, social emotional learning, and positive thinking to help them stay physically fit, mentally less stressed, able to cope with emotions, and interact with kindness. Wuf Shanti has been honored to receive many awards, and Adam is honored to have been published in many national publications, interviewed many pioneers for his “Partners of Peace” series, founded the Kids’ Association for Mindfulness in Education, and to be co-founder and hosting the Mindful Kids Peace Summit. Adam is certified in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for teens, Kidding Around Yoga, and the Emotion Code.
Check out Adam’s TEDX talk at https://youtu.be/2r6TWTqr8FM about getting mindful SEL programs into all schools K-12, why mental health education is so important to stopping violence, and using our voice to make a positive difference in the world.
Buy Wuf Shanti books, shirts, stuffed animals for younger kids
See Wuf Shanti videos for younger kids
Visit me at www.wufshanti.com or like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wufshanti
Dr Dzung Vo • http://mindfulnessforteens.com
Session Title: The Mindful Teen’s Physical and Mental Health
Free Learning Resource: Guided Meditations
Dzung X. Vo, MD, FAAP, is a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine. His medical practice, teaching, and research emphasize promoting resilience in young people to help them thrive in the face of stress and adversity. He co-developed a mindfulness training program called MARS-A, or Mindful Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents. Dr. Vo is the author of The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time (New Harbinger, 2015). Dr. Vo also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mindfulness in Education Network (MiEN).
David Victorson • www.innerexplorer.org
Session Title: Exercise: Exploring Originality Meditation
Free Learning Resource:
Maureik Robison • www.innerexplorer.org
Session Title: Mindfulness is for Everyone
Free Learning Resource:
Introduction to Inner Explorer
Maureik Robison is the Director of Program Development and Outreach for Inner Explorer. As a
former educator in the public school system, he has experience implementing mindfulness
practices and culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom. Maureik often refers to
mindfulness as “the tool I wish I would’ve had.” He is dedicated to bringing the transformative
power of the breath to as many students as possible
Laura Bakosh • www.innerexplorer.org
Session Title: Exercise: Exploring Originality Meditation
Free Learning Resource:
Introduction to Inner Explorer
As one of Inner Explorer’s Co-Founders, Laura discovered the benefits of mindful awareness more than 25 years ago when she was trying to manage the stress of travel and long workdays. While working at GE, Laura had the insight to share her mindful awareness practice with hundreds of fellow employees. Upon seeing the many positive results the daily practice had on performance, creativity, and wellbeing, she realized it would be the perfect fit for education. The practices can help children navigate the ups and downs of life with resilience, alleviating stress and anxiety, and can help them focus, allowing them to be ‘ready to learn’. — all with compassion, openness, and love. She can hardly wait for the first generation of kids going through this program to reach adulthood! Laura received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College and a Doctoral Degree in Psychology from Sofia University. She was trained as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts. When not working, Laura loves to spend time with family and friends, especially with her husband Rick and son Will. She loves being outside, which is much easier now that she moved from Illinois to Florida, going for a bike ride, running with her dogs Scout and Bella or doing hot yoga, as if Florida isn’t hot enough.
Sadiqa Williams-Glusman • www.healtheplanet.com
Session Title: Small Act Huge Impact
Free Learning Resource: SEED – Middle School Lesson Plans
Sadiqa Williams-Glusman is the Director of Programming and a SEED Educator for the non-profit
Heal the Planet. She is also Certified Health Coach, has taught healthy cooking since 2006, and
strives to enlighten and bring awareness to others by focusing on their power of choice. She says
that “All of what she is and does is because she’s very passionate about the magic of our bodies
and fascinated with how the foods we eat affect us.” She has been growing her own food and
gardening for 18 years, has a family business with her husband and 4 sons, called Indoor
Meadows which grows specialized micro-greens, and spends her days teaching children not only
about nutrition but also about the environment, healthy choices, planet leadership, and
sustainability.
Cory A. Jones • www.followedthebook.com
Free Learning Resources:
Followed – Who’s Following you worksheet
A teachers guide to Followed -Common Core
Social Media T.H.I.N.K. Week Curriculum
Session Title: Social Media and Communication Mindfulness
Cory Alexander is an educator, author, serial dreamer and entrepreneur who holds a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Masters Degree in Education, School Counseling from Liberty University. With this combination of talents and passion to encourage youth to make better decisions to the road to success, it’s no wonder that he has chosen to write books and curriculum to accomplish this aspiration. On a more personal note, Cory is a big movie fan, loves to exercise, recently turned vegetarian’ish and is totally fascinated by food documentaries and the benefits of healthy eating. Cory’s philanthropic efforts are serving his church as an Usher and serving the Paterson NJ community as a fatherhood curriculum program facilitator. Additionally, and most importantly, he is a father of three, grandfather of one and devoted husband to his wife of 16 years.
Argos Gonzalez • www.littlefloweryoga.com
Session Title: Yoga and the Mindful Teen
Free Learning Resources:
Hand to Heart Focus
Mindfulness Teen Card Deck
Mindful Mondays
Argos Gonzalez is a teacher, lecturer, and mindfulness and yoga instructor. He has 14
years of experience teaching high school in the Bronx and teaches pre-service and in-
service teachers at Hunter College School of Education in NY. Argos is certified through
both Mindful Schools and Little Flower Yoga (LFY), and currently serves as the director of
professional development for The School Yoga Project, a program of LFY and Lead Teacher
for Mindful School’s Mindful Teacher yearlong certification program.
Argos was a contributing editor to Best Practices for Yoga in Schools, and his work has been
featured in national media including NPR and The Atlantic. As a frequent speaker at
conferences including the Kripalu Yoga in Schools Symposium, Bridging the Hearts and
Minds of Youth, the Omega Mindfulness in Education Conference and the Yoga Service
Conference, Argos is an important member of the yoga in schools community and a trusted
expert with a foot in both the yoga, mindfulness, and education worlds.
His deep passion for empowering children and adolescents, and supporting other education
professionals to do the same, is clearly evident in all aspects of his work.
Buy: Yoga and Mindfulness Practices for Teens Card Deck Cards
Dr. Heidi Kasevich
Free Learning Resource: Resources for Schools
Session Title: Introverts Deserve Equal Class Time
As the former Educational Director at Quiet Revolution, Heidi Kasevich, PhD, ran the Quiet Schools Network, a nationwide program that focuses on guiding school communities to cultivate inclusive cultures where all temperaments can thrive. She currently helps schools and organizations to help introverted children to thrive especially in leadership roles.
Dr. Regina Washington, DRPH • https://www.lgbtcenters.org/
Session Title: Diversity and Inclusion among Mindful Teens
Dr. Washington, Director of LGBT HealthLink, a program of CenterLink, working toward
eliminating health disparities within LGBTQ communities. She provides high-level
consulting on best practices to transform health systems related to community
engagement. She has provided LGBTQ cultural competency trainings for allies,
healthcare systems, departments of health, and other community-based organizations.
Dr. Washington recently accepted a new role with CenterLink as their first Development
Officer. She will be leading the effort to build sustainable fundraising systems to support
CenterLink and the national network of more than 200 LGBTQ community centers. Dr.
Washington has over 15 years of combined experience in community, governmental, and
academic institutional leadership related to strategic planning, program development,
implementation, and evaluation. Her presentations, projects, and writings have focused
on health disparities, health education, and health policy, specifically related to tobacco
cessation and cancer control.
Dr. Washington obtained her BA in biology from Berea College, a MA in education from
Eastern Kentucky University, and a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of
Kentucky. She has also achieved leadership and service awards, completed a National
Cancer Institute health policy CERTA Fellowship, and is a University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill Public Health Leadership Scholar.
Dave Trachtenberg • www.walkthemiddleway.com
Session Title: Honoring Our Differences: The Courage to Ask Questions
Dave Trachtenberg is a mindfulness and peace-circle facilitator who has dedicated his
life to creating communities of empathy, and inspiring others to discover their innate
strength, wisdom and kindness. In addition to his 20 years of experience in mind-body
practices, Dave is an outspoken champion for racial justice, gender equality, and LGBTQ
& immigrant rights. He believes that a mindfulness-circle’s ability to provide deep
listening, inquiry, and an accepting space for people to share their stories, is a vehicle
for racial healing on an individual and societal level.
Dave currently facilitates and coaches with his private practice Walk the Middle Way, is a
Board Member for the Institute of African American Mindfulness, founded Mind-Body
Basketball, and formerly served for five years as Program Director for Minds
Incorporated, which facilitated mindfulness to 18,000 youth, educators and parents in
Washington DC schools. He has trained with The Engaged Mindfulness Institute, MBSR,
Mindful Schools, The Academy of Guided Imagery, and two Tai-Chi teachers in the
Cheng Man-Ching lineage..
Knellee Bisram • https://www.ahameducation.org
Session Title: Sitting Meditation
Knellee Bisram is a Certified Mindfulness Trainer, Social and Emotional Learning Coach, Social Sciences professor, and consultant to NGOs and International Organizations. She is the founder and CEO of AHAM Education, a transnational social investment initiative empowering youth and underserved individuals with evidence-based presence, positive psychology and peace tools that cultivate social-emotional intelligence and well-being. She is also currently the SEL Specialist for Prime Time Palm Beach County, serving under the national Partnerships for Social and Emotional Initiative funded by the Wallace Foundation to integrate SEL practice for adults and children from 7am to 7pm. Knellee has been a student of meditation and Present Moment Awareness for over 30 years, serves on various community mind body committees and boards, and has designed curricula and taught Mindfulness, SEL and Emotional Intelligence to youth and disabled individuals, teachers, counsellors, youth workers, health practitioners, veterans, business and community leaders in English and Spanish throughout the Americas. Knellee holds a MA in International Relations/Latin American Studies, a BA in Languages, and BSc in International Business. She is fluent in Spanish, French and Portuguese and continues to explore new languages.
Ted Meissner • www.umassmed.edu/cfm
Free Learning Resource:
Youtube Video
Join Umass Newsletter
Session Title: Mindful Communication
Ted Meissner has been a meditator since the early 90’s, is a UMass Center for Mindfulness MBSR Teacher, and is the host of the podcast Present Moment:
Mindfulness Practice and Science. He has presented about mindfulness to various
groups including the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Harvard Humanist
Hub, and Be The Match, the National Marrow Donor program. Ted has been
published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, Mindful, and The International
Journal of Whole Person Care.
Edgar Rodriguez • www.innerexplorer.org
Session Title: Exercise: Exploring Originality Meditation – in Spanish
Free Learning Resource:
Daniel Siegel • drdansiegel.com
Session Title: Me and Who You Are
Free Learning Resources:
Free Learning Resource: Wheel of Awareness
Dr. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities.
Dr. Siegel has published extensively for both the professional and lay audiences. His five New York Times bestsellers are:
Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, Brainstorm: The Power and
Purpose of the Teenage Brain, and two books with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D:The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline.
His other books include: The Developing Mind (2nd Ed.), The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindsight, The
Mindful Brain, The Mindful Therapist, and The Yes Brain (also with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D). Dr. Siegel also serves as the
Founding Editor for the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology which contains over seventy textbooks.
Buy: Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
Affiliate partners
MINDFUL SCHOOLS • www.mindfulschools.org/
Mindful Schools is one of the key players in the movement to integrate mindfulness into the everyday learning environment of K-12 classrooms. The organization has trained over 25,000 educators, parents, and mental health professionals who work with youth. These graduates, spanning 100+ countries, have reached over 2 million children worldwide.
CHILD MIND • www.childmind.org
Free Learning Resource: Set of Welless Cards
The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most.
COALITION OF SCHOOLS EDUCATING MINDFULLY • www.educatingmindfully.org
Coalition of Schools Educating Mindfully is an educator-led nonprofit that supports school communities by connecting them with mentors, trainings, curriculums and other resources for mindfulness-based social, emotional, and academic learning. Our goal is to empower every educator to explore, personally practice, and then embed mindfulness in their classrooms. By joining forces and assisting each other as we implement holistic approaches to education, we equip the world’s youth with skills to thrive.
CENTERLINK • www.lgbtcenters.org
CenterLink was founded in 1994 as a member-based coalition to support the development of strong, sustainable LGBT community centers. The organization plays an important role in supporting the growth of LGBT centers and addressing the challenges they face, by helping them to improve their organizational and service delivery capacity and increase access to public resources. CenterLink works with other national organizations to advance the rights of LGBT individuals and to provide LGBT community centers with information and analysis of key issues. Serving over 200 LGBT community centers across the country in 45 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, as well as centers in Canada, China, and Australia, CenterLink assists newly forming community centers and helps strengthen existing LGBT centers, through networking opportunities for center leaders, peer-based technical assistance and training, and a variety of capacity building services.
CASEL • www.casel.org/about-2
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL). CASEL supports educators and policy leaders and enhances the experiences and outcomes for all PreK-12 students.
HOLISTIC LIFE FOUNDATION • www.hlfinc.org
The Holistic Life Foundation is a Baltimore-based 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to nurturing the wellness of children and adults in underserved communities. Through a comprehensive approach which helps children develop their inner lives through yoga, mindfulness, and self-care HLF demonstrates deep commitment to learning, community, and stewardship of the environment. HLF is also committed to developing high-quality evidence based programs and curriculum to improve community well-being.
HEAL THE PLANET • www.healtheplanet.com
We create innovative education, partnerships, and community programming aimed at inspiring a generation of leaders empowered to Heal the Planet. We teach about nutrition, the environment, sustainability, and the power of choice.
INNER EXPLORER • www.innerexplorer.org
Inner ExplorerTM is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide mindfulness in schools for PreK-12 classrooms, helping children develop self-awareness, self-control, resilience and compassion. Each series contains 90 audio-guided practices that can be used every day by simply logging in and pressing play. Students and their teachers participate together in the brief (5-10 minute) daily practices. No prep, planning or curriculum changes required.
DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION • www.davidlynchfoundation.org
The David Lynch Foundation helps to prevent and eradicate the all-pervasive epidemic of trauma and toxic stress among at-risk populations through promoting widespread implementation of the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation (TM) program in order to improve their health, cognitive capabilities and performance in life.
INTERNATIONAL TWEENS • www.tweens.media
International Tweens is a publication designed to connect tweens (ages 9-13ish) and bridge cultural gaps through personal real-life stories and shared experiences. And it covers topics that are not often talked about in schools or at homes. More than a magazine, it gives a voice to tweens around the world, makes them feel not alone, and inspires them to find true passions. We want to encourage every tween to stay positive and rise above!
LOVE BUTTON • www.lovebutton.org/love-button-movement
Founded by two doctors, Dr. Habib Sadeghi and Dr. Sherry Sami, the Love Button Global Movement fosters loving acts of kindness, collaborating with organizations and individuals who transform and uplift the lives of our human family. The funds we raise are used to support initiatives ranging from intimate local efforts to global programs that promote physical and mental health, nurture education and cultivate loving action through our “Love Is” Dandelion Initiative.
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING GROUP • www.ipgbook.com
IPG is the original independent book sales and distribution company in the United States. Our comprehensive sales and marketing approach, extensive account reach, and innovative digital services ensure access into every imaginable channel, including gift, specialty, wholesale, and digital accounts worldwide.
MINDBE EDUCATION • www.mindbe-education.com
MindBE is an educational company providing curriculum, training and consulting to schools globally. We also are the hosts of the Preschool Mindfulness Summit, Mindfulness in Education Summit and cohost on the Mindful Kids Peace Summit. MindBE offers online courses such as the Thriving Kids course and Preschool Mindfulness Curriculum Training.
WUF SHANTI CHILDREN’S WELLNESS FOUNDATION • www.wufshanti.com
Created by a kid for other kids, Wuf Shanti provides mindfulness education and social emotional learning programs to K-12. The younger curriculum is centered around a dog mascot character, fun, games, music, books, videos, and a mobile app. The mascot travels to schools and hospitals to visit the kids. Wuf Shanti can be seen on the Children’s TV Network in hospitals all around the world, BatteryPop, KidoodleTV, local PBS Stations, Adventure to Learning, and made Common Sense Media’s “Best Health App for Kids” and “Best Meditation App for Kids” lists.
The older curriculum is minus the dog character, and for teens, such as the Kids Association of Mindfulness in Education, where kids come together to get these programs into schools and make a positive difference in the world, and the Mindful Kids Peace Summit, a 5 day online international program for tweens and teens, shown in middle schools and high schools, across the globe. Topics include diversity, inclusion, communication, kindness, antibullying, mindfulness techniques, social emotional learning (self-awareness, self-regulation, self-compassion, resilience), compassion, empathy, interacting with others, collaboration, positive psychology, and more.
Check out Adam’s TEDX talk at https://youtu.be/2r6TWTqr8FM about getting mindful SEL programs into all schools K-12, why mental health education is so important to stopping violence, and using our voice to make a positive difference in the world.
THE PEACE ALLIANCE • https://peacealliance.org
We are an alliance of organizers and advocates taking the work of peacebuilding from the margins of society into the center of national discourse and policy priorities.We champion a comprehensive, collaborative approach to peace and peacebuilding.
UMass Med • https://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/
Our mission is to advance the health and well-being of the people of the commonwealth and the world through pioneering education, research and health care delivery with clinical partner UMass Memorial Health Care, the largest health care provider in Central Massachusetts.
As Seen On
GOOP
www.goop.com
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
www.psychologytoday.com
TIGER WOODS FOUNDATION
www.tgrfoundation.org
MAROON 5
www.facebook.com/maroon5