What is SEL?
“Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” (CASEL)
With the knowledge of what SEL is and represents, it’s important to look at the ways in which it ties into our overall well-being. Children begin to acquire social-emotional learning skills at a very young age. Educators across the globe work to instill a strong foundation of SEL which in turn will help children grow into young adults who are better able to cope with the everyday stressors life brings. At Herren Project, we believe in the 8 Elements of Wellness (See diagram below) and we feel these align well to make a connection with CASEL’s Core Competencies.
As you can see, we are not only considering physical health, but also emotional, intellectual, environmental, occupational, financial, social, and spiritual. The eight elements together determine our overall wellness. When SEL is nurtured in young children and throughout their development, it provides them with the foundation needed to thrive in all other areas of wellness. By pushing for SEL in our schools and organizations starting as young as preschool, we are advocating for our children to be provided with the tools needed to build this foundation. These tools will also help them to cope with the many challenges and obstacles we are presented with in life and our hope is that they will then be able to overcome these challenges and maintain a substance-free lifestyle.
Click here for our Self-Care Action Plan. We encourage you to create your own as it can help you maintain overall wellness and add to your foundation of social-emotional learning. Always remember to Be You, Live Well!
Herren Project Clubs is a school-based, evidence-informed prevention and wellness program designed by prevention specialists, clinicians, and school counselors to empower students to live substance-free while creating a peer network in schools. Its goal is to provide tools to strengthen social-emotional learning and coping skills to make healthy choices and live fulfilling lives.
