Self-compassion can help children suffer less
Hello friends!
I believe with my whole heart that diverse communities and societies support everyone’s well-being, and there is research to support this truth. When we devalue individuals from marginalized groups, it hurts us all. And when we appreciate the contributions of diverse groups, everybody’s life becomes richer! Please scroll all the way down for ways that you can help self-compassion reach all children, including those from diverse groups.
I have a beautiful podcast interview to share with you today. I interviewed Veronica Diaz—a mother, a naturalized American citizen, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers teacher, engineer and project manager, and a woman with a passion for helping EVERYONE, including Spanish-speaking children, develop the resource of self-compassion.
In our interview, Veronica shares about the oppression that she and many other Latinos have encountered both in the US as well as in their countries of origin. She also shares self-compassion tools that can help to soothe and empower. We discuss the effects that anti-immigrant rhetoric has on minority groups, as well as her efforts to help Spanish-speaking children discover self-compassion, both in the United States and abroad (more on how you can help in the next section). You can access our heart-warming and insightful conversation on YouTube (below) or your favorite podcast app!
Help bring Self-Compassion to Spanish-Speaking Children
Valuing Linguistic Diversity
Part of what makes Fratney amazing is that it’s a 2-way bilingual school. In a 2-way bilingual school, half of the students that attend the school are native Spanish speakers, and half of the children who attend the school are native English speakers. These two groups of children learn both Spanish and English side-by-side, and everyone ends up bilingual. It is so beautiful!
I studied Spanish in high school and college, and I remember my first experience encountering an individual who spoke only Spanish. While my Spanish was wobbly and imperfect, we were able to have a conversation, and I could sense that beyond linguistic differences, this individual had a beautiful culture entirely different from my own, and I felt drawn to learn more.
I studied abroad in Ecuador my Junior year in college, and I minored in Spanish. Later, I became a bilingual teacher and wrote my Masters thesis on helping children grow up bilingual. I continue to teach in both English and Spanish, and I dream of sharing the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbooks for Kids with diverse English and Spanish-speaking children both locally and abroad when Veronica and Mercy’s fundraising efforts are complete!
Parent-Child Self-Compassion Class in English and Spanish!
The Mind and Life grant includes funds for teaching the parent-child class in Spanish. Veronica and I will be teaching our first Spanish-speaking cohort of the Parent-Child Mindfulness and Self-Compassion class in April. You can register below if your family speaks Spanish and/or share this opportunity with any Spanish-speaking families you know who have children between the ages of 8-11. The April Spanish-speaking cohort is fully funded by the grant, so it’s free for participants.
We are in it Together
This mission is so much bigger than any one class or book. It’s about helping all children and their caregivers suffer less through the power of self-compassion. Please share about this newsletter and our fundraising efforts with others. Together we can be advocates for children’s (and grown-ups!) well-being and work to ensure that no child suffers without resources.
With love and gratitude,
Jamie Lynn
P.S. Our family went on vacation earlier this week. It was beautiful, imperfect, and so much fun! Two highlights included a lovely meal at La Morenita, a small roadside restaurant in Indiana, and beautiful dune hikes—we did the the “Three Dunes Challenge” at the Indiana Dunes State Park.
