Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yadira Veres. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yadira, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
I feel very strongly about the need for social emotional learning (SEL) in schools. I believe that SEL should be included in the curriculum of every school, at least once a week. Kids have the need and the right to learn how to cultivate inner joy, inner peace and harmony with others. This would not only increase their chances to lead a happier more successful life, but also will foster focused and peaceful minds, ready to learn everything else planned on the academic curriculum.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I created GirlKind Project® with the mission to promote kindness and inspire support among girls. I was inspired by my daughter, Nina, to empower girls through social emotional learning (SEL) to intentionally cultivate happiness and peace within, foster a safe school climate and contribute to a more compassionate world. “SEL is the process through which we acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”(CASEL)
GirlKind Project® is an SEL program, with a kindness focus, designed for girls from elementary to middle school. We successfully launched the program in 2017, in collaboration with The Education Effect from FIU, and since then have been positively impacting girl’s lives. The program has 12 sessions, and the curriculum can be used by anyone who has the desire to empower girls and change girl culture to one of support and inclusion. We have all seen the devastating effects of bullying and isolation, whether in the news or from someone close to us. Asking someone to be kind or not to bully is not enough. There is an immediate need for social emotional learning programs in school, especially those that foster kindness and inclusion. To learn more or to license the GirlKind Project® curriculum, readers can email me at [email protected]
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
We were ready to launch the program, but a week away from the launch date, we were still missing a crucial component to implementing it: program facilitators. Students feel more comfortable and open when interacting with peers, as opposed to a teacher, parent or counselor. They share a similar discourse, allowing for greater understanding and are more perceptive to learning from them. These are some of the reasons why the GirlKind Project® facilitators are college students. However, we still had to train them, and we were not having any luck recruiting any, after a month of searching. I asked everyone I knew to help me with this critical task, but still nothing. Then, I had the idea of trying to find any of my former Psychology professors to ask them for help. Going down the FIU faculty directory made me realize that I was older than I felt. I earned my Psychology degree in 1995 and after over a couple of decades, they probably had retired. Almost about to give up on that idea and move on to the next, I saw a familiar face on the university directory. She was not my professor, but former employer and mentor in the field of behavior analysis. I contacted her right away and she proposed that I present at the student psychology conference, that same week. I did and we recruited our first facilitators, just in time for training and launch!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Funding the program was and still is the hardest part of the project. It is the part I enjoy the least and wish I could delegate. However, being on this path has attracted the support of our wonderful community, friends and family. The program pilot was entirely funded by contributions from family, friends and our own private funds. We continue to fund the organization through licensing fees, fundraising events and GirlKind® merch sales. For information on how to support, visit our website girlkindproject.org
Contact Info:
- Website: girlkindproject.org
- Instagram: girlkindproject
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadira-alvarez-veres-28ba2341/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJgY9XXRU94&t=12s
Image Credits
pictures taken by me or volunteers