Imagine an entire school – students, teachers, and administrators – taking time each morning to turn inward together, and listen to a brief mindfulness prompt and world-class music.
The Well's programs combine best practices in arts and wellness and are designed in partnership with those they serve.
We love collaborating with local, national and international community partners and peoples in a variety of arts programming and mindfulness practices.
We are a small yet mighty team, dedicated to making a big difference with what we have. Your support means the world to us.
This Summer, The Well partnered with Project Connect at Rising Stars Academy on Vine to lead a 5-week social-emotional learning (SEL) program that focused on mindfulness and arts practices. In order to track progress, pre assessment observations were taken during week 1 and post assessment observations at the end of week 5. Students were assessed in their specific age groups of 5-7, 8-9, 10-12, and 13-14, within the following categories:
Below, we’ll explore the specific areas of improvement for each age group and highlight the areas of growth that stand out as particularly impactful.
For the youngest students, the focus was on laying the groundwork for strong emotional understanding and teamwork.
Meditation and Calming Techniques
Learning to sit quietly and use breathing to relax may seem simple, but these skills represent an incredible leap in self-regulation. By the end of the program, the number of children able to meditate quietly for three minutes went from 50% to 100%. Similarly, using breathing techniques to calm themselves increased from 50% to 100%.
Recognizing and Expressing Emotion
The ability to link emotions to colors and understand how they manifest within the body doubled and even quadrupled in some metrics. Before the program, only 25% could pinpoint where they felt emotions in their body, but by the end, 50% had mastered this skill. Recognizing emotions through color improved from 25% to 100%.
Art as Emotional Expression and Building Connections
Art played a pivotal role in encouraging emotional reflection. Pre-program, 75% used art to reflect their emotions; post-program that number hit 100%. Similarly, building connections with peers soared from 50% to an inspiring 100%.
For children in this age group, independence and curiosity become key drivers of development.
Listening and Following Instructions
Listening to instructions and engaging without interruptions improved from 50% to 75%, reflecting growth in self-control and respect for their teachers.
Goal Setting and Problem-Solving
Tackling life’s challenges became a big focus, with goal-setting rising from 25% to 75%. Curiosity-driven questioning also improved significantly, moving from 50% to 75%.
Teamwork and Connection
The ability to work together calmly and effectively rose dramatically, with teamwork jumping to 75%. Building bonds and meaningful peer connections improved to 100%, showing how the group embraced the program’s collaborative environment.
This age group dealt with more complex social dynamics, making improvements in this group particularly important.
Calm and Centered Practices
Meditation participation rose from 25% to 75%, showing major strides in focus and self-discipline. Using breath to calm their emotions saw a jump from 25% to 50%, an essential stress management tool.
Reflection and Emotional Insight
Recognizing challenges and reflecting on how to overcome them surged from 25% to 75%, highlighting progress in emotional resilience. Emotion recognition through association with colors improved to 100%.
Working with Others
Teamwork skills rose from 25% to 75%, and participants capable of creating peer connections more than doubled, reflecting a newfound openness and sense of collaboration.
Students in this age range are looking ahead to their futures and what they want for their lives. This felt sense of increased responsibility was explored and expanded upon during the program.
Building Empathy and Emotional Literacy
Tracking emotions through physical and color-based cues saw growth up to 75% and 100%, respectively, representing heightened self-awareness.
Navigating Collaborative Work
Teens improved significantly in their ability to work in calm, cooperative ways, with teamwork skills growing from 50% to 75%. Their confidence in setting goals and navigating steps to achieve them also showed robust improvement, reaching 75%.
Mindfulness and Self-Reflection
Meditation participation more than doubled, from 25% to 50%. An emphasis on overcoming challenges boosted reflection capabilities—the percentage of teens recognizing how they handled obstacles increased from 50% to 75%.
The numbers only tell part of the story. Beyond the statistics, participants walked away with more than just improved metrics; they left the program equipped with tools for life. From managing stress in healthy ways to making meaningful connections with peers, the lessons learned in this summer program will serve them for years to come.
Investing in social-emotional skills doesn’t just benefit individuals—it strengthens families and communities. This program is a shining example of how structured, purposeful activities can turn summer days into opportunities for life-changing personal growth.
Permission to feel emotion grid
Students began each session with a meditation and shared their emotion color for the day. Yellow: happy, Blue: Sad, Red: Angry, Green: Calm
Students using four emotion grid colors to draw where they feel emotions in their body
After listening to "Mystical Lake" from Mindful Music Moments, students drew their own version
More mystical lake artwork
Connection cards created by age groups 10-12 and 13-14
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Our programs have been nourishing the community since 2005. In 2019, we became the non-profit, A Mindful Moment.
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We are a small yet mighty team, dedicated to making a big difference with what we have. Your support means the world to us.
