The Mind Body Ecology Institute

We are kindly asking for your help in supporting K-12 teachers in our wonderful hometown of Fort Worth, Texas!

The Eco Resilience Workshop for K-12 Teachers

Resilient Teacher, Flourishing Classroom

 

The Eco Resilience Workshop is an 8-week training in nature-based experiential learning and resilience practices for K-12 educators in Fort Worth designed to fit the rhythms of the school calendar and seasons.

The workshop empowers K-12 teachers and counselors with the knowledge and skills that research indicates can promote healthy and resilient living, encourage appreciation and care for the natural environment, as well as enhance the educational experience and lifestyles of their students. 

Resilient teachers are ideally equipped to help children and teens learn deeply, live resiliently, and thrive.

The schedule integrates in-person immersives with online evening sessions, culminating in a weekend nature retreat.

The workshop also invites healthy outdoor activities, deepens appreciation for Fort Worth’s many greenspaces, and encourages communities to take pride in living well together and with the land.

Our work aligns with the Texas Health Resources’ Community Hope program and Fort Worth’s visionary GREENprint initiative, particularly its goals to:

• Place stronger emphasis on living with nature to extend the benefits of the local ecosystem citywide.
• Usher in a new era of programming that fosters engagement, connection and activation across public spaces.

Your generous gift allows us to offer this program free to teachers and counselors, as well as cover substitute teacher costs along with a modest $300 stipend to support each teacher and counselor.

Our flourishing future begins within and with nature – and together. 

“Money is like water. It can be a conduit for commitment, a currency of love. Money moving in the direction of our highest commitments nourishes our world and ourselves." - Lynne Twist

"There is no human flourishing without Mother Earth flourishing." 

– Yuria Celidwen, Flourishing Kin

Teachers and Collective Flourishing

In classrooms across the city and beyond, teachers plant the seeds of curiosity, kindness, and courage. They open doors to worlds a child has never seen, and light paths toward who that child might become. They carry the stories, questions, and dreams of our communities, shaping not only what students understand, but who we can be together.

The Urgency of Supporting Teacher Well-Being

The National Education Association defines burnout as “a condition in which an educator has exhausted the personal and professional resources necessary to do the job.” 

While burnout occurs across professions, educators experience it at significantly higher rates. 

The scope of the challenge is striking:

• K-12 educators are now the most burnout-prone profession in the U.S.
• 44% report feeling “often” or “always” burnt out
• 90% consider burnout a serious problem in education
• Over half plan to leave teaching sooner than intended
• Since the pandemic, there are 500,000 fewer public-school educators nationwide
• In 2022, 44% of public schools reported unfilled teaching positions, with nearly half of postings remaining vacant

These realities underscore the need for systemic and personal strategies to help educators not just cope but flourish. 

How Your Gift Promotes Teacher Resilience 

The Eco Resilience Workshop addresses this need directly, offering evidence-based, nature-connected, and community-centered practices to cultivate emotional resilience, restore vitality, and renew a sense of purpose in teaching.

Recent research speaks directly to the profound benefits of mindfulness training for educators. In a rigorous study involving elementary school teachers, researchers found that a mindfulness-based program significantly enhanced teachers' emotional regulation, self-efficacy, and overall well-being while markedly reducing burnout symptoms. 

Teachers trained in mindfulness showed greater engagement with students, creating nurturing and supportive classroom environments. Notably, students themselves reported improved resilience skills and stronger connections with their teachers, benefits echoed by their parents.

When educators themselves are supported in integrating these skills and ways of knowing, the benefits ripple outward to classrooms, families, and the broader community!

Thank you for your generosity and support for all these hardworking people, for our cherished natural environments, and the lives of all the many children and teens they nurture!