Heartful Conversations: Recent Episodes

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Christa Tinari has over 20 years’ experience providing technical assistance, training, and program implementation in the education, training and non-profit sectors.

Her Expertise is in Social-Emotional Learning, Peace and Global Citizenship Education, Violence and Bullying Prevention, Anti-Bias Education, and Conflict Resolution Education.

With a M.A. International Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Concentration in Education, and a B.A in Psychology, Christa is Committed to helping organizations apply research-based practices within schools and organizations in order to create a more equitable, compassionate and peaceful world.

Christa is also a Senior Instructional Content Developer, SEE Learning Program, at Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics, Emory University.

Verita International School and Verita Foundation are proud to be the Primary Collaborators in Romania of Emory University for sharing this amazing curriculum in the public school system.

1. Why is it important to work on conflict resolution?

2. How does it help to learn what conflict styles we have? And why?

3. What is the power of personal practices when we look at dealing with conflict?

In this episode we have answered these questions and learned a lot more about conflict such as:

• the definition and understanding of conflict;

• the 5 basic conflict styles (and knowing which ones you use);

• how we learn how to handle conflict from our family experience;

• conflict escalators and de-escalators;

• the emotional and physical components of conflict;

• tools for resolving and transforming conflicts that we can use at home and at school.

For more resources on this topic please access these links:

http://cerc.veritafoundation.ro/resurse/pdf/20Conflict.pdf

http://cerc.veritafoundation.ro/resurse/pdf/ConflictResolution.pdf

https://seelearning.emory.edu

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Understanding and working with difficult emotions

Many times we are on autopilot and our minds are constantly commenting and producing thoughts and narratives that can take us away from what's really relevant and important in our lives.

Understanding our internal world, our minds and becoming aware of the repetitive and obsessive thoughts we have helps us make sense of how we function, what's helpful and what's not really serving us.

Join us in this dialogue about how thoughts can produce suffering but also how by paying more attention to our minds, we can free ourselves and live a more balanced life.

A beautiful resourcing practice awaits you at the end of the podcast! :)

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How does developing Social Emotional Learning skills improve academic performance? What is the connection?

What is the future of SEL learning? How will SEL evolve over time?

And why is it important to do the work ourselves as parents and educators before teaching it to our children?

We had the pleasure to explore the answers to these questions with Dr. Ed Dunkleblau.

Ed Dunkelblau, PhD. is the director of the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning , he is also an internationally known speaker and consultant on the topics of social-emotional learning and character development, safe schools programming, and humor in education.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts degree in psychology, and Master of Education degree in vocational and rehabilitation counseling from Columbia University. He has received numerous awards and his work has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, CNN and many others.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the educational process that leads to the development of emotional intelligence - that is, the process by which we become better at understanding and managing our emotions AND learning how they impact the choices we make, the relationships we have and our outlook in life.

It refers to the acquisition of the understandings and specific skills that are at the heart of a child's academic, personal, social and civic development. Social and emotional learning is critical not only for success in school, but also in life. SEL enables individuals to recognize and manage emotions, understand their personal values, develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish and maintain positive relationships and handle challenging situations effectively.

Research has shown that people with social and emotional competence are most likely to succeed academically, have a sense of well-being in their personal lives and act as contributors to their communities. (Source: Columbia University, Project EXSEL)

For more information on SEL programs, resources and courses please access: https://selinschools.org/

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In this talk, we share the practices, mindsets and tools we have found useful in our lives when things got tough, when it was hard to truly connect with life’s gentle reminders that this is still a miracle and we are so blessed to be able to experience it.  

Resilience, Self-regulation, Self-compassion, Perspective taking, Asking for help, Body practices, these are all things we can explore, learn and use to become more intimate with our life, to help take off some of those layers that no longer serve us . 

Hoping you will enjoy our talk, we look forward to your comments and ideas by sending us an email at : lila.vasilescu@verita.ro 

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"Audrey calls herself a pilgrim of life.

She has had an unconventional journey, starting with her non-violence studies at UC Berkeley, where she embarked on a walking pilgrimage in Silicon Valley. Inspired by “Planet Walker” and the stillness in her heart, Audrey once embarked on a three-day walking pilgrimage from Berkeley to Santa Clara’s Awakin gathering.

Her fearless quest for truth called her to experiment as a monastic at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. And her abundance of love led her to serve with the Gandhi Ashram and Moved by Love in Ahmedabad, India. Irrelevant of where she is in the world or how big or small the act, Audrey’s purity of intention and commitment to service gives everything a personal touch that is impossible to clone.

She’s also known for her work on the compassion quotient, and is the co-visionary behind the iconic 6-week laddership circles of ServiceSpace. Recently, with a team of volunteers, she’s launched karunavirus.org, which is an online platform for amplifying everyday stories of courageous kindness."

Heartfelt Conversations is a Podcast series initiated by CERC ( Compassion in Education Resource Center ), a project developed by Verita Foundation and Verita International School.

It is a dialogue between three friends on different topics of the heart and it emerged from a genuine need for connection and meaningful encounter during challenging times.

Marius, Lila and Richard used to organize Mindfulness retreats together and while that is not possible anymore, they still felt they could get together and share some thoughts on relevant topics these days, guide some useful practices for the body and mind and maybe even bring some smiles.

They will bring many interesting guests on the following episodes so stay tuned.

http://cerc.veritafoundation.ro/

https://veritafoundation.ro/

https://www.veritaschool.ro/

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What is a noble friendship?

How can friendship act as an anchor in your life?

In this conversation, Lila, Marius and Richard are sharing about how noble friendships and those deep connections really nurture our hearts.

In the presence of a noble friend we feel safe, seen and heard but also gently challenged to revisit our beliefs and to grow through a curious exploration of who we truly are as friends always hold a mirror and invite us to look at ourselves over and over again.

Heartful Conversations is a Podcast series initiated by CERC ( Compassion in Education Resource Center ), a project developed by Verita Foundation and Verita International School.

It is a dialogue between three friends on different topics of the heart and it emerged from a genuine need for connection and meaningful encounter during challenging times.

Marius, Lila and Richard used to organize Mindfulness retreats together and while that is not possible anymore, they still felt they could get together and share some thoughts on relevant topics these days, guide some useful practices for the body and mind and maybe even bring some smiles.

They will bring many interesting guests on the following episodes so stay tuned.

http://cerc.veritafoundation.ro/

https://veritafoundation.ro/

https://www.veritaschool.ro/

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How do we tap into compassion during such challenging times?

How can small acts of kindness rewire our brains and bring more joy and wellbeing?

How do we cultivate deeper ties that nourish our hearts?

How do we move from seeing service as a sacrifice to seeing it as a celebration of who we truly are as human beings?

Nipun Mehta is the founder of ServiceSpace.org - an incubator of projects that support a gift culture. In his mid-twenties, Nipun quit his job to become a "full time volunteer" and over the last 15 years, his work has reached millions, attracted more than 500 thousand volunteers, and mushroomed into numerous projects like DailyGood, Awakin Circles, and Karma Kitchen.

Among his many prestigious accolades, President Obama appointed him on a council for social change, Dalai Lama recognized him as an “Unsung Hero of Compassion”, and Germany’s OOOM magazine named him Top 100 Most Inspiring People of 2018.

We are tremendously proud and happy to have Nipun as our guest on Heartful Conversations, in an episode where we discuss compassion in our day to day lives and in today's world context and how to tap into it.

Heartful Conversations is a Podcast series initiated by CERC ( Compassion in Education Resource Center ), a project developed by Verita Foundation and Verita International School.

It is a dialogue between three friends on different topics of the heart and it emerged from a genuine need for connection and meaningful encounter during challenging times.

Marius, Lila and Richard used to organize Mindfulness retreats together and while that is not possible anymore, they still felt they could get together and share some thoughts on relevant topics these days, guide some useful practices for the body and mind and maybe even bring some smiles.

They will bring many interesting guests on the following episodes so stay tuned.

http://cerc.veritafoundation.ro/

https://veritafoundation.ro/

https://www.veritaschool.ro/

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Honest and heartful conversations about how we hold on to hope in times where uncertainty is the only certain thing. Follow us along for a conversation that touches on topics of hope, coping with uncertainty and keeping positive.

Heartful Conversations is a Podcast series initiated by CERC ( Compassion in Education Resource Center ), a project developed by Verita Foundation and Verita International School.

It is a dialogue between three friends on different topics of the heart and it emerged from a genuine need for connection and meaningful encounter during challenging times. Marius, Lila and Richard used to organize Mindfulness retreats together and while that is not possible anymore, they still felt they could get together and share some thoughts on relevant topics these days, guide some useful practices for the body and mind and maybe even bring some smiles. They will bring many interesting guests on the following episodes so stay tuned.

http://cerc.veritafoundation.ro/

https://veritafoundation.ro/

https://www.veritaschool.ro/