HELO
About this program
The Head, Heart & Love (HELO) Program is an initiative by Bhumi to make social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part of education by fostering self and social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making in learning spaces*.
What is SEL for children and adults?
Understand and manage emotions
Set and achieve positive goals
Feel and show empathy for others
Establish and maintain positive relationships
Make responsible decisions
Why SEL?
With merit oriented learning and highly competitive environments, society has given less importance to cultivating qualities that are central to fostering social, emotional and mental well-being, and to accomplishing a meaningful life. As a result, children experience undue levels of stress as they feel pressured to ‘perform well’ at school or generally in their lives.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognises that “The aim of education will not only be cognitive development, but also building character and creating holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with the key 21st century skills.”
How We Do It
Aligning with the NEP 2020, we at Bhumi believe that, incorporating Social, Emotional Learning in education systems will help build character, enable learners to be ethical, rational, compassionate, and caring, and thereby prepare children for future challenges.
HELO program enriches learning spaces by:
- Collaborating with the various stakeholders of the education system
- Providing grade specific, specialised deliverable content on SEL competencies
- Working closely with the educators through development workshops and sharing circles
- Providing necessary support to create and carry forward the program
In the long term, Bhumi transforms the learning culture, develops leaders in these learning spaces to independently and mutually incorporate and drive SEL as an essential part of their communities. Bhumi’s SEL program has benefitted 6228 children, 247 educators in 36 schools since 2017.
Testimonials
“The sessions were highly interactive and useful; it was a refreshing day off from our normal routine as this served as a golden opportunity to learn a lot and realise our potential. I learnt about the importance of mindful listening which made me think about how challenging it is to hold the attention of a student for an entire day, without any setbacks. I’m sure we will all implement the learning garnered here today in our classrooms every day. Good work, Bhumi!” – J. Nagasornamugi, Mary Clubwala Jadhav Government Higher Secondary School, Chennai
“I understood the fact that every student in the classroom comes from a different background; their emotions and feelings are unique; hence we can approach them based on their background in a positive way, be more empathetic, and support them to tackle their difficult situations. This workshop has made me envision such an approach towards handling students in my class henceforth, to achieve satisfactory outcomes and results from my work.” – D. Prema, Dhanalakshmi Primary School, Chennai
FAQ
Who is HELO meant for?
HELO program will be primarily introduced in learning spaces such as schools and urban slum communities. While children may appear to be the focus, the HELO program can apply to other stakeholders within a learning space such as educators, school administrators and parents.
What are the benefits of HELO program?
- Building self-confidence of children, assessing own strengths and limitations and developing a optimistic outlook in life
- Better stress management, motivation of self and goal setting behaviours
- Socially conscious changemakers in society
- Problem solving, understanding consequences of action and taking ethical decisions
- Increased classroom participation, Improved teacher-student relationship
Who will take the HELO sessions?
Educators in the learning space will facilitate the sessions with the children. The HELO team at Bhumi will provide specialised content to educators who participate in program orientations, development workshops and monthly sharing circle meetings. Educators then take the content back to the children.
How long is the program and what will be the frequency of the sessions?
Minimum 2 year long commitment. 1 hour per week during school hours is assigned for HELO sessions and Check-In/Check-Outs are incorporated in the daily classroom routines.
How can a corporate help?
Corporates can support us and improve the quality of life of children in marginalised communities and take our program to the schools they are sponsoring
How can a partner help?
Collaborate with us, share best practices and discuss ideas for effectively implementing HELO program in schools and communities you work with
How can volunteers help?
Help us in reaching out to schools and communities that you know of and want to work with
*Learning spaces refers to a physical setting for a learning environment, a place in which teaching and learning occur. The term is used as an alternative to “classroom”; but it may also refer to an indoor or outdoor location, either actual or virtual.