Kohima : SCERT-Nagaland organized a 2-day training on Mindset shift and Transformative Education with its faculties and officials at the State Council of Educational Research and Training, Nagaland (SCERT) office, Kohima on June 1st & 2nd 2023. The training was facilitated by Bangalore-based partner Dream a Dream in Kohima, Nagaland.

The objective of this training was to create awareness about social-emotional learning in the context of transforming education and mindset change. The training was designed to introduce a creative facilitation process for ensuring meaningful engagement, strengthening trust on own skills, building high-impact coordination, appreciating each other, and learning from own failures and successes.

The 2-day training provided an opportunity for everyone to connect with their own personal experiences to consolidate equity, dignity, and inclusion to translate the facilitation approach into practice to make the collaborative efforts grounded and impactful.

Participants were engaged to nurture a space that honors each person’s authenticity and celebrate the diversity of various intersectional identities. Knowing how diverse perspectives contribute to our work’s depth, quality, and impact, we seek to value and enhance the differences in our identities and lived experiences.

During the training, the participants actively participated in sessions underlining a deeper understanding of self and others, exploring their own creativity, building their own connection with children and young people by listening to them deeply and emphatically, reimagining their own role and responsibility to build safe space for everyone, practicing life skills like acceptance, empathy, listening, validating, etc.

Joint Director, SCERT, Takatemjen, shared how “Socio-emotional learning promotes mind-body wellness. It helps improve a person’s flexibility, endurance, motor skills, mind-body connection, and wellness. It is well established to be among the best releases for tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience. People who stay socio-emotionally active tend to stay more fit and productive lives as well”.

Nazia, Dream a Dream, co-facilitator, also shared, “it was an immense pleasure for me to spend two days with SCERT Nagaland. I found the entire group easy to connect with and keen to explore their creativity. I’m hopeful to see the group’s energy and willingness to explore Social Emotional Learning. I was able to see the emotional connection among the group which seemed to be like a pillar of supportive community within the ecosystem”.

The training was inaugurated by Additional Director, SCERT, Pekruzetuo.  He emphasized the need for such training on a continuous basis to shape mindset change and improve facilitation & interaction with teachers during training. He expressed his gratitude to Dream a Dream for working along with SCERT. Sucheta Bhat, Chief Executive Officer, Dream a Dream facilitated the training and Ganga and Nazia from the same organization supported her.