Mindful June 2017

what’s new
EXTRA-
ORDINARY
ACTS OF
KINDNESS
When a man
showed up at an
airport with his
toddler daughter,
he was unpleasantly
surprised to
learn that, having
just turned two,
she now needed
her own ticket,
and he couldn’t
afford it. A nearby
stranger noticed
and, without hesitation,
she bought
the $749 ticket.
The city of Indianapolis
installed
tiny ramps along
its downtown
canal in order to
save ducklings
and other small
semi-aquatic animals
from drowning.
The ramps,
made of wood
and insulation (to
help them float),
allow the birds to
mount the canal’s
concrete edge
with ease.
Starting Off Right
Here are some exciting projects that are bringing
mindfulness to future generations.
A Kinder
Sesame Street
We know Oscar is grouchy,
but can he learn to be more
kind? The folks behind
Sesame Street think so.
Responding to parental
concerns about the unkind
state of today’s world, the
show dedicated its 2017
season to kindness. And
mindfulness plays a role.
To formulate its Kindness
Curriculum, Sesame Workshop
tapped the expertise of
researchers and educators,
including the University
of Wisconsin–Madison’s
Center for Healthy Minds,
which developed a mindfulness-based
kindness curriculum
that’s being taught in
area schools. Early research
shows improvements on
academic performance and
measures of altruism among
participating students.
It even works for Oscar
the Grouch: After some
reluctance, he agrees to take
his pet worm, Slimey, to a
garden party to celebrate Be
Kind to Your Worm Day.
“Cognitively it’s hard for
children to take on the perspective
of someone else.
Through the characters, we
can model that behavior,”
says Sesame Workshop’s
Rosemarie Truglio.
Farmers of the Future
A high school in South Los
Angeles might just be training
the agricultural and
environmental leaders of
tomorrow. The Gardening
Apprenticeship Program
at John C. Fremont High
School has taught city kids
about urban agriculture,
environmental justice, nutrition,
and healthy cooking
since 2012. The program also
provides training in basic
agricultural techniques and
exposure to career opportunities
in the agriculture and
environmental studies.
Mindfulness K-12
Kids in Australia are being
taught to meditate thanks
to a new initiative by the
country’s state media.
Mindfully…Back to School,
a project of the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation’s
Radio division and the nonprofit
mindfulness education
organization Smiling
Mind, offers guided meditations
designed for kids at
the different stages of their
youth, from primary school
all the way up to their university
years, accessible on
the ABC website or app.
Being Humble Can
Have Its Strengths
Based on national
survey responses
from 2,800 participants,
researchers found correlations
suggesting that more
humility may help people
cope better with stressful
life events. Perhaps
humble folks are more
willing to reach out for
support, buffering against
mood problems.
It’s Official:
Americans Are
More Stressed
In its annual survey
on “Stress in America,”
conducted in August,
the American Psychological
Association found that
a little more than half of
Americans were finding
the election a significant
source of stress, prompting
the surveyers to do a follow-up
in January, which
revealed that Americans’
stress had increased from
4.8 to 5.1 on a 10-point
scale in the intervening
months, representing the
first significant increase
since the poll began 10
years ago. Both Republicans
(59%) and Democrats
(76%) reported being
stressed about the future
of the country.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY SESAME WORKSHOP, GRATISOGRAPHY
12 mindful June 2017