FRIENDS! Fostering resilience and non-discrimination in schools now is possible with the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation programme in educational systems across Europe!
The FRIENDS project has seen its further advancement through the 2° partners meeting taking place in Brussels on the 30th November 2018. On this occasion, partners met up at the headquarters of Maharishi Institute of Vedic Science in Brussels in order to discuss the next steps of implementation and evaluation of the project.
FRIENDS allows schools and other non-formal educational institutions in Europe to implement the innovative whole-school approach known as the Quiet Time based on Transcendental Meditation programme. No changes in the educational curricula are required other than adding twice-daily breaks in which can be practiced a simple, scientifically documented psycho-physiological technique, Transcendental Meditation, that has been found to be effective for the development of brain functioning and cognitive performance, promoting social inclusion and a positive social behaviour.
Students who volunteer and whose parents approve, practice the Transcendental Meditation technique during the Quiet Time moments and their level of academic and personal satisfaction are evaluated alongside the ones of other school members that, in the course of the FRIENDS project, have learned and practice Transcendental Meditation (like teachers and principals).
During the last meeting all partners had the opportunity to discuss the first phase of project implementation: newly obtained data and information were shared among the national networks putting the basis for the local learning communities to be created at each country level and make key relevant stakeholders acquainted with the Quiet Time/TM approach within schools.
Local learning communities and online communities were also one of the main topics of the 1° FRIENDS face-to-face meeting held the 29th November 2018 at the Royal Library of Belgium.
Do you want to be part of our online community? Join our FRIENDS FB groups!
This introductory meeting allowed schools interested in the implementation of the technique to have the chance to meet other schools already involved in the project. The channels and tools of dissemination that have been established where shared with interested stakeholders at grass root level to explore and multiply the potentiality of the TM-based Quiet Time approach for social inclusion in schools and in non-formal educational institutions.
Partners established to hold the next 3° Transnational meeting on May 2019 in Portugal, organized by Cooperativa Cultural Ciencia e Tecnologia Vedica Maharishi – CCCTVM.
Are you a member of a school or of another non-formal educational institution? Do you want to know more about the FRIENDS project and its novel approach? Visit our website and join our FRIENDS Facebook communities, you will have the chance to be part of our team
For further information
- Read more about FRIENDS
- Visit the FRIENDS website
- Follow us on the FRIENDS Facebook page
- For general concerns, please contact: mariagiovanna.carpinteri@cesie.org
Quiet Time /TM Implementation coordinators contacts:
- For UK: Richard Johnson – richard.johnson@maharishifoundation.org.uk
- For Portugal: Paulo Cortereal – corte_real@live.com.pt
- For Belgium: Claudio Scubla – claudio.scubla@gmail.com
- For Italy: Rossano Maset – rossanomaset@gmail.com
- For other countries: Mirta Castellaro – mirtacastellaro@yahoo.com
About the project
FRIENDS: Fostering Resilience-Inclusive Education & Non-Discrimination in Schools is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme under the Key Action 3 Support for policy reforms – Social inclusion through education, training and youth.
Partners
The project partnership holds together:
- Coordinator: Fondazione Hallgarten Franchetti – Centro Studi Villa Montesca (Italy)
- Universidade do Algarve(Portugal)
- ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – Università di Bologna(Italy)
- CESIE (Italy)
- Escola Secundária de Loulé(Portugal)
- Municipality of Sacile – Pordenone(Italy)
- Maharishi School Trust Limited(United Kingdom)
- Maharishi Foundation(United Kingdom)
- APEJAA – Associacao de Pais e Encarregados de Educação da Escola Joao Afonsode Aveiro(Portugal)
- Cooperativa Cultural Ciencia e Tecnologia Vedica Maharishi – CCCT(Portugal)
- Associazione Meditazione Trascendentale Maharishi Italia(Italy)
- Civic Association for Communication and Education “Sophia”- ACCESOPHIA (Spain)
- Maharishi Institute of Vedic Science(Belgium)