Voices of Future Generations English - Blog #WellbeingVoices of Future Generations English - Blog #Wellbeinghttps://vofg.vofgarabia.org/blogs/tag/wellbeingTue, 14 Apr 2026 04:15:21 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Mindfulness: A path to a Kinder You and a Better World - Voice of Ivy B. Ogbu]]>https://vofg.vofgarabia.org/blogs/post/mindfulness-a-path-to-a-kinder-you-and-a-better-world-voice-of-ivy-b.-ogbu1Hey there, awesome young minds! Ever wondered how you can make a big difference in our world? Being a  changemaker  sounds like a big task wit ]]>

Mindfulness: A Path to a Kinder You and a Better World

Hey there, awesome young minds! Ever wondered how you can make a big difference in our world? Being a changemaker sounds like a big task with big shoes to fill. Well, I've got a somewhat easier but very impactful secret for you: it's all about something called "mindfulness," and it's like a magical wand for making the world a better place.

 

Imagine this: You're on an aeroplane, and they tell you to put on your oxygen mask before helping others. Why? Because you need oxygen first to fill up your lungs before you can help others. And guess what? Mindfulness is your mind's superpower!

 

Mindfulness means paying close attention to the here and now without judging. Like when you pause and think before reacting to a friend's comment or when you notice how much plastic you use and decide to use less. Mindfulness helps you understand your feelings and problems better, so you can make choices that make you and the world happier. It's like planting seeds of kindness, such as helping a classmate or cleaning up a park, and watching kindness spread all around.

 

Now, here's the big "aha" moment: Being kind to yourself makes it easy to be kind to others and our planet. Think about it: when you're happy and strong, you have the energy to make the world a better place.

 

Imagine if all of us changemakers practiced mindfulness every day. We'd become like kindness superheroes! We'd make small but impactful choices like using less plastic or saving energy, and guess what? These small acts help our planet stay healthy.

But that's not all! Mindfulness also helps us be kind to our friends and neighbors. When you're mindful, you notice when someone needs a friend or a helping hand.

 

And here's the best part: by being a mindful changemaker, you inspire others to be kind and mindful too. It's contagious, spreading a wave of goodness all around you.

 

So, remember, you don't have to change the whole world at once. Start by being a kind changemaker to yourself. Practice mindfulness, be kind to others, and watch the magic happen!


Voice of Ivy B. Ogbu


Ivy B. Ogbu is a sustainability specialist and a former UN employee with a passion for sustainable development. She is the author of "Raising Change Makers with Cyril”, a children’s book series that makes complex Sustainable Development Goals accessible 

and inspiring for young readers. Ivy hopes to empower children, educators, and parents to take action for a brighter, more

sustainable future.


Favourite book right now? 

Empowering Global Citizens: A World Course, Fernando Reimrez et al.

 

Favourite lesson at school? 

In retrospect, while I disliked biology at the time, it was the only subject growing up that gave me my first ‘aha’ moment, which is the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life on Earth.

 

Favourite animal/lifeform? 

Elephants.

 

Favourite hero/heroine?  

I never had a hero/heroine – I know, it’s weird. But I have been inspired by many people, especially women such as Joan Ruth Bader I never had a hero or heroine—I know, it’s weird. But I have been inspired by many people, especially women such as Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jacinda Ardern, Malala Yousafzai, and the list goes on—it is super long!

]]>Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:18:49 +0400<![CDATA[Wellbeing in Education - the voice of Robert Williams]]>https://vofg.vofgarabia.org/blogs/post/wellbeing-in-education Hello, my name is Rob and over the past two years my role at school has foc ]]>

Wellbeing in Education

Hello, my name is Rob and over the past two years my role at school has focused on well-being in education. Specifically, how we can begin to address the well-being needs of students that are ever changing and very individualized. In order to achieve this, I adopted an action research-based approach which led to the development of PEP (Positive Education Program).

 

First things first, we needed to develop a school-wide understanding of what well-being is and its individual components. For this, we adopted the PERMAH model developed by Martin Seligman. Consisting of 6 components; positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, and health, the model had already been used in the region as the foundation for the KHDA longitudinal well-being census.

 

Next, we merged these components with additional school values (such as respectfulness and curiosity) and coded in a bank of questions that would then be used to individually measure student well-being against these metrics. Each class was then provided with a 20-minute slot in their daily schedule for PEP time. But here is the innovative part, the coaching and activities provided to each class was individualized based on their individual data. So hypothetically speaking, if Grade 1 flagged as displaying low levels of engagement, an engagement focused session was chalked out for them. Grade 2 having issues with health-related topics, health focused sessions were planned for them. 

 

Students, parents, and teachers really bought into the idea which certainly helped in its implementation. However, it’s important that we continue by optimizing such initiatives. Who knows what such a model could look like in ten years? Data being collected in the background by an AI well-being bot? Students being able to determine their own well-being metrics and how they can allocate time to developing them? The possibilities are truly endless and in reality, we are still at the very genesis of exploring the role in well-being and how it can be developed in our education models. 


Voice of Robert Williams


Robert has spent the last 9 years working in Dubai based schools in a range of roles such as homeroom teaching, head of science, and director of student success and well-being. The blog focuses on a well-being initiative that was developed as his thesis project whilst completing a masters in educational leadership. 

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