Dates: 22–26 September 2025

Title: Transforming Education: An Innovative Approach for Improving Mental Health, Well-Being & the School Climate

Participants:

• • Mayra, Montse, Visiting teachers from Institut Domènec Perramon, Arenys de Munt – Barcelona (Spain)
  • Sofhie, Camilla, Visiting teachers from Marks Gymnasieskola, Skene (Sweden)  
  • Antonio Pedro, TM Teacher and director CCCTVM (TM organization in Portugal)
  • Paulo, Host Teacher / TM Teacher and Mobility Coordinator, A. Iria School (Portugal)

✈️🌿Well-Being in Practice: from Barcelona and Skene to Olhão – A journey of discovery, reflection, and connection through Erasmus+ Mobility

From September 22 to 26, four teachers — Montse and Mayra from Catalonia (Spain), and Sofhie and Camilla from Sweden — took part in a FRIENDS Erasmus+ mobility hosted by the Escola Dr. Alberto Iria in Olhão, Portugal. The visit offered a first-hand experience of how the Quiet Time with Transcendental Meditation (QT/TM) program is transforming schools into calmer, more inclusive, and happier learning environments.

This was not just a visit. It was a structured 5 days Erasmus+ mobility and full immersion that brought together personal growth, professional insights, and intercultural exchange — it was a rediscovery of the true purpose of education

🌱 A Warm Welcome to a School that Breathes Peace

The week began with a meeting with the school leadership, including Principal Ema Salero, Paulo Cortereal, Mobility coordinator, and António Pedro Gonçalves, TM coordinator, who introduced the participants to the QT/TM program. A guided tour of the school followed — full of student-made murals, vibrant colors, and a serene atmosphere that immediately reflected the impact of Transcendental Meditation on the school climate.

✨ Learning Through Experience

Each morning began with meditation sessions in different classes — from 7A to 9C — where the visiting teachers joined students and their teachers in their daily Quiet Time with Transcendental Meditation sessions. After being personally trained in the Transcendental Meditation technique, the participants were able to live the experience in first person, feeling directly the deep calm and clarity that this simple practice brings, and witnessing how a few minutes of silence at the start of the day can transform the classroom atmosphere — bringing calm, focus, and a sense of unity to everyone present.

The students described how meditating helps them start the day calmer, feel less stressed, and even improve relationships with classmates and teachers.

In the afternoons, the group met with local parents, educators, and municipal representatives at the City Hall and Department of Education and Social Cohesion, who shared how the program supports emotional well-being and social inclusion in the educational community and across Olhão.

🌍 Dialogue Between Practice and Science

Midweek, participants visited the University of the Algarve – Faculty of Humanities, where psychology professor Sérgio Vieira presented FRIENDS studies on the positive effects of TM on mental health and education outcomes. This scientific perspective reinforced what the participants had already begun to feel personally: that a few minutes of silence each day can create lasting change — for individuals and for schools.

👩‍🏫 Visiting the Teacher Training Center Ria Formosa

The group also met the local Teacher Training Centre Ria Formosa at the João de Deus Cluster of Schools. Here, Maria Eugénia, coordinator of the centre and very enthusiastic of the QT/TM programme, explained how Transcendental Meditation is officially offered through the TTC as an accredited component of teacher career development. She shared valuable insights on how teacher training is organized in Portugal and spoke passionately about the growing interest in QT/TM-based training across the region.

The Ria Formosa Teacher Training Centre, a public institution under the Ministry of Education, supports a network of 49 schools across Faro and Olhão. It plays a key role in enhancing the skills and competencies of teachers, offering accredited courses that promote innovation and well-being in education. As a strong partner in the FRIENDS and EUROPE projects, the centre has already helped raise awareness of QT/TM training in over 90 TTCs across Portugal. Their work not only strengthens local teacher development but also contributes to broader policy dialogue and sustainable, systemic change in education.

🧘Friendship, Reflection, and Gratitude

Beyond classroom observations and training sessions, the week was filled with moments of connection — shared meals, laughter, and heartfelt exchanges between colleagues from three different countries united by one common vision: to bring well-being into education.

🎓 Looking Forward

On the final day, the four participants received their certificates from Principal Ema Salero during a warm farewell ceremony, expressing gratitude for the professional and personal growth experienced throughout the week. They received their official job shadowing certificate, but what they took back was far more: a toolkit for change, a supporting network, a renewed sense of purpose and a vision for what’s possible when peace and purpose are integrated into education.

This FRIENDS mobility has reinforced in the four participants the idea that well-being, inclusion, and educational excellence are not only compatible—they are inseparable, because true education begins with inner balance, where silence becomes one of the most powerful forms of connection.

If you are a school leader, teacher, or policymaker looking to be part of this movement, we welcome you to discover, learn, and grow with us!

About Alberto Iria School

Olhão (Portugal)

The Agrupamento de Escolas Dr. Alberto Iria in Olhão comprises 3 schools, 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle of basic education, totaling more than 800 students and 120 teachers. Placed in the coastal zone, where the declining of “traditional” activities of fishing and canning industry brought serious problems of poverty and social exclusion persisting in spite of tourism development, the A. Iria is strongly committed to build a humanist, fairer, inclusive and supportive learning environment.

The school is part of the national Programa Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária (TEIP) whose main aim is promoting educational inclusion in schools located in disadvantaged areas with children ‘at risk’ of social exclusion, and comprising a network of 137 schools in Portugal.

Pioneer of the Quiet Time /Transcendental Meditation programme in Europe, the A. Iria participated as implementing school to 2 Erasmus +co-funded projects EUROPE (europe-project.org) and FRIENDS (friends-project.eu). The Agrupamento created deep connections with the local territory and at National level involving the Directorate General of Education (DGE), DGEstE (Directorate General) of Algarve, the Teacher Training Centers (TTC), public structures offering QT/TM to teachers as professional development courses, at regional and national level, the University of Algarve.

Through the Erasmus+ Mobility/Job shadowing program, the A. Iria hosts European schools interested to the QT/TM approach and shares the experience gained over the years in implementing and monitoring Quiet Time with Transcendental Meditation in schools

The A.Iria school will continue its mission of spreading the QT/TM methodology to other schools in Portugal and all over Europe, being also partner of a network of 137 TEIP schools, part of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) connecting more than 12,000 schools in 182 countries (100 in PT), and bringing a model to be easily replicated at European level.

About Institut Domènec Perramon,

Arenys de Munt – Barcelona (Spain)

The Institut Domènec Perramon is a public secondary education center (IES) located in Arenys de Munt, a municipality in the Maresme region of Barcelona, Spain.

It offers education at the following levels:

• ESO (Educació Secundària Obligatòria, or Compulsory Secondary Education)
• Batxillerat (Baccalaureate or High School), with both scientific-technological and humanistic-social tracks.

The institute is actively involved in educational innovation and holistic development, as evidenced by its various projects and programs:

• Educational Projects: The center has a structured approach that includes a Projecte Educatiu de Centre (PEC), a Projecte Lingüístic (Linguistic Project), and a strong Projecte Emocional (Emotional Project).
• Innovation: It participates in educational innovation initiatives, such as programs focused on integrated language learning (like “Avancem”) and projects combining research, creation, and service (“Recerca creació i servei”).
• Digital and Communication: It also has an Estratègia Digital de Centre (Digital Strategy) and even runs a school radio space, “L’espai de l’Institut a la ràdio.”
• Social and Emotional Learning: The center emphasizes social skills through Mediació (Mediation) and Orientació (Guidance) services.