Guided by mindfulness in everything we do.
At Calmer Choice, it is our aspiration that our shared mindfulness practice is the fundamental guide for everything we are and everything we do. We believe that our potential for positive impact is rooted in our ability to reflect and practice internally the vision we are promoting to our school and community partners externally. To do this, we are continually exploring what it means to ‘work mindfully’ and build a ‘mindfulness organization’ within the realities of our modern, fast-paced world.
Together as a team, we outlined a series of commitments to mindful work that create clarity around what this specifically means and looks like for each of us as individuals, and for us as a Calmer Choice team.
Calmer Choice describes mindfulness as paying attention, on purpose, to what is happening in the present moment with kindness and curiosity. We understand this to encompass being actively aware of the intersectionality of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIAB) as it relates to our internal organizational structures and our external service delivery. We recognize this as both a path and a practice, that – like mindfulness – requires constant attention, learning, and commitment.
We consider our Commitment to Mindful Work to be the guiding framework that collectively supports and advances our commitment to awareness, resilience, mindfulness, and intersectional DEIB work. We have invested time, energy, and resources to take action to change those aspects of our work and culture that do not align with our vision for equity and access.
We continue to evolve our team structures and organizational systems to better reflect our commitment to diverse experiences, forms of knowledge, and understandings of mindfulness practice.
We know that mindfulness is the practice of being in relationship to what’s in front of us. As a nonprofit founded in 2010, we have grown, evolved, and changed based on the needs of our community, and our own learning process. While our core aspiration to serve children and those who support them remains steadfast, the way we do this has changed over time as we learn and grow. In particular, the field of cognitive research has significantly expanded our understanding of mindfulness practice. Additionally, our awareness of the importance of trauma has informed changes to our instruction and program delivery.
As an organization, we do not seek to achieve a particular structure or program that is the ‘best’ or ‘right’ way. Instead, we actively invite reflection and adaptation into our work as a way to honor our mindfulness practice and our relationship to the present moment.