Welcome

The power of the human spirit propels us on journeys of self-awareness, and there are many divergent paths to follow. Fortunately, we can now explore the landscape of the mind itself. Neuroscientists say that the human brain is always changing; we can choose to transform it to give us the best out of life. Researchers have demonstrated tranquility, empathy, gratitude, and focused attention open the brain like a flower in bloom to help relieve stress, anxiety, boredom, and unhappiness. Emergent “heart-mind education”—better known as social and emotional learning (SEL)—and neuroscience are influencing cognitive theory, and more importantly how we teach children.

Children today are experiencing unprecedented challenges that make it difficult, if not impossible for them to reach their potential in school. Stress and anxiety, now endemic in our culture, compromise children’s ability to focus and pay attention and erode social and emotional competencies necessary for personal wellbeing and academic success.

How well do our children fare among their peers in industrialized nations? According to UNICEF’s Innocenti Report Card (2007), the United States ranks in the bottom third in five out of six key indicators of children’s health and wellbeing. Most notably, in the category of “Behavior and Risks,” measuring obesity, substance abuse, violence, and sexual risk-taking, the United States ranks 20 out of 21.

In the face of these challenges, how do we prepare this generation to meet the demands of our world as confident, optimistic individuals?

Through advocacy and educational, evidence-based programming in our schools, The Hawn Foundation seeks to provide children with the tools to succeed and thrive. Our objective is to develop and deliver social and emotional learning, supported by brain research, that nurtures children and ensures their future and ours.

By creating more optimistic classrooms and fostering more positive cultures in schools, we can help children lead happy, fulfilling lives. While children make up 25% of the world’s population, they are 100% of our future.

We invite you to explore this website to learn how we are promoting children’s success in school and in life through social and emotional learning—and what you can do to help us realize our mission.