In Rendlesham, the second Free seminar of the FRIENDS project - Fostering Resilience, Inclusive Education and Non-Discrimination in Schools was held on 26^th September 2019 in the United Kingdom.

In the enchanting location of the Maharishi Peace Palace, the project partners together with teachers of Transcendental Meditation (MT), school staff and other local stakeholders from the educational field involved in the Quiet Time programme based on Transcendental Meditation, took part to an intensive session of exchange of relevant information related to the implementation of the QT/TM programme in schools (both primary and secondary schools).

This innovative technique has been implemented in schools is the crucial methodology that in the project allowed primary and secondary schools of the 4 European countries (Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom and Belgium) to validate the first results expected on the effects and benefits brought by the program QT/TM on students and teachers who participated.

The indicators through which both students and teachers involved have been assessed are related to the personal sphere, professional and ultimately relational ones.

Transcendental Meditation is indeed a technique that scientific studies across the years have shown to be relevant both in the improvement of the individual well-being, in the professional career, in the personal satisfaction and in the improvement of the environment in which it is applied.

Some of the aspects taken into consideration include the level of professional satisfaction of teachers, self-esteem, the capacity of concentration of students and others such as the level of anxiety in the classroom and the level of depression.

Following the evaluation program developed by the scientific team of the FRIENDS project (ALMA MASTER STUDIORUM – Università di Bologna, Maharishi School Trust Limited and Universidade do Algarve), the shared results showed how the indicators belonging to the first range of indicators (the level of professional satisfaction for teachers, self-esteem, ability to concentrate for students) showed a positive increase with improvements registered both for teachers and students, in the classrooms where the QT/TM programme has been carried out.

While, for the indicators such as the level of anxiety in the classroom and level of depression, the results recorded a negative trend that shows how these aspects that negatively affect the life of every individual appear with a lower intensity.

The introductory speech to the ceremony was held by the project coordinator Fabrizio Boldrini (Fondazione Hallgarten Franchetti – Centro Studi Villa Montesca), presenting how development in the educational field should be oriented towards the discovery and exploitation of the individual potentialities, enhancing self-knowledge to which the innovative technique of the FRIENDS project seems to respond.

New schools and classes are participating more and more to join the QT/TM program!

Many students, teachers and school administrators welcomed the implementation of the programme in schools, including it in the curricular daily routine of their educational systems.

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If you are a teacher or an educator: Friends Community - Schools

If you are a policy maker: Friends Community - Policy makers and Stakeholders

If you simply want to know more on QT/TM programme for Schools: Friends Community - Quiet Time/TM Programme