Gaia+ is a Brazilian non-profit organization and has been ranked among the top 100 organizations in Brazil four times (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022). In partnership with the SEE Learning team at Emory University and Brazilian researchers, Gaia+ has developed a teacher training program focused on the well-being of educators, empowering them to cultivate social, emotional, and ethical skills in their students. As a result, educational spaces are transformed into more compassionate environments. This approach was chosen because teachers, in general, are experiencing compromised mental health, with high levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout.
The training program consists of eight synchronous virtual sessions, each lasting 2 hours, along with daily asynchronous individual activities such as meditations and readings. To complete the program, participants must attend both live classes and conduct Learning Experience 1 from Chapter 1 with their students and report their findings to us.
The course is free and 100% virtual, expanding its reach and enabling education professionals from anywhere in Brazil to participate. The only requirement is internet access. The course had a pilot phase in May 2021 and was made available to the general public in June 2021. To date, 24 cohorts have been conducted, with over 3,800 participants (including 2,300 between September 2022 and September 2023) from 445 municipalities. Participants, on average, rate the course at 9.58 out of 10.
We have assessed all participants, and the results show that participants experienced an increase in well-being (WHO-05 well-being index rising from 14.44 to 15.35), a 43% reduction in stress, a 16% increase in motivation, and an 18% increase in attention. Additionally, 89% of participating teachers state that the course has helped them manage their emotions, 91% report that it has facilitated the development of self-compassion and compassion for others, and 90% affirm that it has aided in recognizing shared humanity. Furthermore, 94% claim that the course has improved the classroom atmosphere, while 95% assert that it has enhanced their relationships with students.
SEE Learning is expanding and becoming a transformative force in Brazilian public education, with numerous education authorities adopting the methodology and providing training for their teachers, benefiting over 160,000 students in the public school system.
