Educators are increasingly recognizing the intrinsic importance of a student’s wellbeing, and at a recent global conference in New Zealand, Mayerson Academy’s president Dr. Jillian Darwish underscored the critical need to emphasize social and emotional competencies as part of the education experience.

Darwish’s presentation, “Strengths in Practice,” was delivered at a Positive Education conference in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 11. In her remarks, Darwish explored the design, implementation and outcomes from the Thriving Learning Communities (TLC) program, using the lens of Character Strengths to develop social and emotional competencies, currently implemented in more than 50 schools across the United States.

The Conference represented the entire education spectrum, from early childhood to primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors, and attracted more than 300 educators and world-class international authorities on the application of wellbeing science in schools.

“It was thrilling to experience the energy and passion for combining the science of character strengths and wellbeing with best practice in education from an international community,” said Darwish. “In our demanding and dynamic world we in the US are certainly not alone in prioritizing emotional wellbeing as we seek to create the best possible learning environments for learners of all ages.”

Developed by Mayerson Academy, an expert in designing and delivering engaging learning experiences for more than 20 years, the TLC program is based on powerful research from the VIA Institute and a blended learning approach built on the award-winning Happify platform. TLC strengthens school cultures by building a common, strengths-based language which research suggests improves social emotional learning competencies and increases motivation, engagement, learning and performance for all ages.