Conference Description
The Spirituality Mind Body Institute (SMBI) at Teachers College, Columbia University is hosting The Spiritual Child: Educational Practices and Youth Development Conference on Monday, November 9th 2015.
This will be a national conference on support of spirituality in youth as the bedrock for character development, thriving and health. Science in the recent decade has established spirituality as the bedrock for lifelong thriving and development in youth.
Research now shows:
- Spirituality exists within the many global faith traditions as well as outside of religious denominations.
- Spirituality is central to health and thriving.
- Spirituality is innate, a foundational human capacity (such as cognitive or emotional faculties).
- Support of natural spirituality from family, educational culture and community establishes a spiritual core in the child, from which all other lines of socio-emotional and moral development unfold.
- A spiritual core established in the first two decades lasts a lifetime as a foundation.
Personal spirituality now has been shown to be the greatest source of thriving and strongest protection against suffering. In this conference we translate science into educational practice and innovation for the betterment of youth. Educators, professionals dedicated to youth and youth activists and policymakers, please join us at Teachers College for the next big wave of innovation in youth development.