SEOUL, South Korea
In a confusing and complicated society, we can only trust ourselves. Because it is only through ourselves that we can develop our inner wisdom and bring about self-change, more and more people are turning to meditation to look deeply within. In Korea, this trend of non-religious people interested in meditation is still relatively new compared to the Western society where meditation has more or less become established as a basic education tool for future generations.
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With the topic of ‘Mindfulness in Education’, the 2021 Meditation Conference will be held from November 5 to 7 as part of the 2021 Seoul Relax Week. It will be held onsite and online simultaneously at the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall and via Zoom Webinar. This year’s line up boasts a total of 14 speakers consisting of 6 global authorities on meditation in education including Karen Bluth, a developer of mindfulness for adolescents and 8 domestic speakers including Ven. Misan, Ven. Seo-Gwang, and Shin Ho-Seoung. The Conference aims to expand the scope of mindfulness meditation from individual self-improvement to encompassing the wider perspective of education. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea has quickly become a leader in ‘Edutech’. On the other hand, despite their great importance, mental health and self-care education has not been actively addressed. What is driving western societies like the U.S. and U.K. to focus on meditation education for mental health in both private and public education sectors?
To propose and highlight meditation education as public policy, the 2021 Meditation Conference will be held over 3 days from November 5th to November 7th as part of the 2021 Seoul Relax Week. The Meditation Conference will be held offline (face to face) at the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall and online through simultaneous livestream via Zoom Webinar.
The topic of the 2021 Seoul Relax Week Meditation Conference is ‘Mindfulness in Education’. The aim is to expand the scope of mindfulness meditation from individual self-improvement to encompassing the wider perspective of education.
The stand out feature of this year’s Meditation Conference is the spectacular speakers. The line up boasts a total of 14 domestic and international authorities on meditation, 6 of whom are international speakers who successfully introduced mindfulness meditation to public education in the U.S. and the U.K. The other 8 speakers are domestic authorities currently leading the popularisation of mindfulness meditation in Korea.
Korean meditation leaders will communicate both online and offline with: University of North Carolina assistant professor Karen Bluth, co-creator of the ‘Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens’ curriculum; Amy Saltzman, creator of ‘Still Quiet Place’, an MBSR program for students and adolescents; and Megan Sweet, who has played a major role in creating and developing mindfulness education theory and practice programs in the U.S. as a senior director at Mindful Schools.
Also joining us are the writer of ‘Say What You Mean’, Oren Jay Sofer, who is facilitating a conversation about meditation and nonviolence throughout the American meditation community; Susan Kaiser Greenland, creator of the American Inner Kids program and the children’s meditation education application ‘Stop, Breathe, Think Kids’; and Kim John Payne, a therapist and educator at around 230 public and private schools in the U.S. for 27 years.
We will also be welcoming special guests from within Korea: Ven. Misan, who is opening new horizons in the field of Meditation Engineering as chief of the KAIST Center for Contemplative Science; Professor Kweon Yong-Sil, director at the education policy research institution School Mental Health Resources and Research Center (SMHRC), a professor of neuropsychiatry at the Catholic University of Korea’s College of Medicine, and one of the few experts in infant and adolescent neuropsychiatry in Korea; Chairman Kim Kyung-Seung, who, as Director of the Korean Academy of Meditation in Medicine and the president of psychiatry at Gotham Medical Foundation Maya Hospital, applies treatments based on MBSR; and Professor Kwak Young-Sook, professor emeritus of neuropsychiatry at Jeju National University, who is currently leading the development of child meditation education programs at the Meditation Education TFT of the Korean Academy of Meditation.
Also speaking on stage are Ven. Hye-Ju, a professor in the Department of Child and Youth Education (Department of Buddhist Childhood Education) at Dongguk University who has played the main role in bringing the SEE Learning program to Korea; Ven. Seo-Gwang, a director of Korean Meditation and Psychotherapy who brought the MSC meditation program to Korea; Ven. Hyo-Rim, a second director and official MSC teacher at the Institute of Korean Meditation and Psychotherapy; and author Shin Ho-Seoung, an active ‘communication designer’ focused on nonviolent communication.
The topic of the first day of the conference is ‘Meditation Becomes Education’ in which we will cover the current state of meditation education around the world and look at successful cases overseas. The second day focuses on ‘Mindfulness for Children’ and looks at meditation education methods that boost the moral and emotional development of infants and children. On the last day, with ‘Mindfulness for Adolescents’, we will go over self-care meditation methods that develop adolescent self-care, self-esteem, empathy, and interpersonal skills. Planned lectures and practice exercises are scheduled for each day.
The first and third days will begin with an opening discussion via Zoom Webinar among domestic and international speakers. On the first day, Ven. Misan, Megan Sweet, and Susan will discuss the theme of this Meditation Conference: ‘Why We Should Talk About Mindfulness in Education Now’. On the third day, Ven. Seo-Gwang and Karen Bluth will have a conversation about mindfulness and self-care for adolescents with the topic ‘How to Look After Myself’.
Buddhist Newspaper, Bulgwang Media, and the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism are the hosts of this Meditation Conference where practice and education intersect through meditation. The conference will be conducted both online and offline. Sequential translation for Korean and English will be provided for in-person participants while Korean and English subtitles will be available with the online video stream. The conference will be recorded live and the content will be distributed at no cost for child and adolescent meditation education.
The Korean Academy of Meditation in Medicine is a sponsor of the 2021 Meditation Conference. The Korean Academy of Meditation in Medicine (Chairman Kim Kyung-Seung) is a collective of about 300 psychiatrists who study theories of meditation as an important means of psychiatric treatment and share their clinical findings.
You can support this event and its discussions surrounding the effects and value of mindfulness meditation education for future generations and the self-care and internal development of children and adolescents through participation or voluntary sponsorship. Sponsorships can range from gifts such as e-books or conference tickets to monetary donations via PayPal.
Meanwhile, 2021 Seoul Relax Week is being held all over Seoul and through the online homepage under the topic of ‘Mindfulness Through Meditation’. Having raised its curtains last June with a retreat at the main downtown temples, Seoul Relax Week will continue to conduct programs such as the Relax Spot & Program, the Meditation Conference, and many others until November.
Detailed lectures by date are below.
The first day ‘Meditation becomes Education’ – Scientific Meditation Program Development Cases (Ven. Misan); Mindfulness as a Powerful Tool to Improve School Culture (Megan Sweet); Introduction of Meditation Education as Public Policy (Kweon, Yong-Sil); Mindfulness in Education (Oren Jay Sofer).
The second day ‘Mindfulness for Children’ – Meditation, Preparation for a Future Society (Kim, Kyung-Seung); Mindful Games: An Introduction to Activity-based Mindfulness for Children, Educators, Clinicians (Susan Kaiser Greenland); Development of a Mindfulness Program for Children and Adolescents in Korea (Kwak, Young-Sook); From Surviving to Thriving: Practical Compassion for Educators (Kim John Payne); Social Learning Model for Children (Ven. Hye-Ju).
The third day ‘Mindfulness for Adolescents’ – How to Look After Myself (Ven. Seo-Gwang, Karen Bluth); Character Education for Teens Based on Mindful Self-Compassion (Ven. Seo-Gwang & Ven. Hyo-Rim); Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens (Karen Bluth); Mindfulness for Teens: Skills for Finding Flow in School, Sports, and Life (Amy Saltzman); Restorative Dialogue for a Peaceful Classroom (Shin Ho-Seoung).
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CONTACT
2021 Seoul Relax Week Operator
Mind Design
Dami Kang
+82-2-2231-2011
