Move This World

Today, on World Mental Health Day, we are announcing a new partnership: Move This World and Presence will offer schools a holistic and aligned option when it comes to their approach to student, staff, and family mental health. The partnership combines Presence's extensive expertise in behavioral and mental health counseling with Move This World's engaging preventative mental wellness platform. Together, this partnership offers a comprehensive approach that addresses all tiers of student needs, from universal proactive strategies to intensive, individualized interventions. Learn more about the partnership and why we’re bullish on approaching mental health as a continuum of care instead of discrete and disconnected solutions at the link in the comments. #worldmentalhealthday #mentalhealth #education #schoolmentalhealth

A note from our Founder.

I’m stressed. As an entrepreneur, mom of three, and wife to a fellow entrepreneur, life can feel overwhelming at times. And when I’m most stressed, my whole family feels it. That’s a reality I face along with parents all over the globe. I’m also fortunate to spend my time building an organization that provides families and educators the necessary tools to navigate and cope with stress so that it doesn’t become an impediment to our ability to thrive. Yesterday, the Surgeon General issued an advisory on parents under stress which was validation for the way we (parents) feel. The warning is a huge call to action – but what can we do? Student mental health, staff mental health, parental mental health – our emotional wellbeing is as a society is all connected.  Along with the advisory, there’s a list of ACTIONS we can take, broken down by roles. Communities, Community Organizations, and Schools - Foster open dialogue about parental stress, mental health, and well-being in culturally appropriate ways. - Equip parents and caregivers with resources to address parental stressors and connect to crucial support services. - Create opportunities to cultivate supportive social connections among parents and caregivers. - Elevate the voices of parents and caregivers to shape community programs and investments. - Strengthen and establish school-based support programs. For our partners, a reminder that Move This World's platform provides you with family resources that you can share directly with your community. These bite-sized, accessible wellness exercises can be used to help families connect and communicate whether they use them over dinner, on the way to soccer practice, or on the morning walk to the bus. The Surgeon General is sounding the alarm, and we are here continuing to respond to this urgent need. #education #mentalhealth #surgeongeneraladvisory Surgeon General’s Advisory on Parents’ Mental Health & Well-Being: https://lnkd.in/ej5DPvrE

What do I do in front of an audience of approximately 800 educators, counselors, administrators and district staff? I ask for silence. And I close my eyes. Last week, I was honored to give the keynote address at the Park City School District’s new school year convocation in Utah. And I wanted to make sure these inspiring educational professionals knew that this talk was about them, their journeys in education and wellness, and their collective vision for the new year. I wanted them to know what an impact they have on our students’ mental health. And how important their wellness is in order to create a strong school community. So I asked them to close their eyes, breathe and remember that. Try it: You are valuable. Your work is transformative. Close your eyes and remember this when challenges inevitably arise throughout the school year. Thank you to the many districts throughout the state of Utah who are championing mental health and wellness with Move This World – including Park City School District, Salt Lake City School District, Jordan School District, and Davis School District. Here’s to a great 2024-2025 where we cultivate resilience, connection and belonging. We are excited to support so many new and returning partners who are standing up for the mental health and wellness of their school communities – Cheers to a great year!

An announcement I’ve been wanting to be able to share for years: Move This World is now a recommended program for social and emotional learning and featured in the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning program guide! This recognition solidifies the evidence-based impact of proactive mental health interventions on academic outcomes for students. And it comes as we expand further into many of our district partners, grow with new districts and schools, and expand our offerings to support educators and students along the MTSS spectrum. As education leaders get started on another year –– already! –– I’m thrilled to be supporting them and building stronger schools. #education #edtech #educationleadership

What’s the most underrated skill? Practice. I started my career as a dancer, but no one told me how to dance. I had to practice the routines. I had to see how others moved to be inspired by their practice. I had to do this every single day. And if you’ve excelled at something, you have experienced the power of practice. Professionals know repetition matters, whether you’re practicing to give a presentation or training for the Olympics. Now, compare that to what you see when you look at our response to the mental health challenges in schools. Where is the practice? Even 5-10 minutes a few times a week of practice can prevent escalating mental health challenges and proactively build stronger school communities. It’s why we built practice into Move This World. Our year-long PreK-12 curricula include thousands of short lessons that teachers can hit play on, and students enjoy practicing each week. What do you practice? #education #educationleadership #mentalhealth 

Are we the problem? Recently I ran a focus group for our secondary grade level curriculum. In response to one of our “Practice Your Path” prompts, one middle school girl shared the most vulnerable and yet uplifting story with her peers. After the session, students asked for more. More Move This World. More ways they could connect with themselves and with their peers. They seemed hungry to build relationships with each other and themselves. This was a BIG contrast from what I so often hear: that middle and high schoolers won’t participate in the work of social emotional connection and skill building. Or that students don’t want to engage. Y’all – I think I found the problem: it’s us.  Have you perfected all of your emotional skills? Probably not. (I haven’t!) When we practice something, we can feel silly, or even embarrassed. Are we projecting these feelings onto our students? When we are the problem, we can also be the solution. Our solution is to train the trainers with our professional learning workshops. It’s to use a video curriculum that engages the class and teachers instead of having the teachers do all the work. Let’s solve this problem together! #education #educationleadership

🙌 We love seeing the impact MTW can have across a school community. #WinOfTheWeek #EducationLeadership #WellnessWednesday

We love to see students using Move This World beyond the classroom. 🎂 #WinoftheWeek #WellbeingWednesday

☀How do you start your day? #WinOfTheWeek #WellbeingWednesday