Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can be a big topic to wrap your mind around at first. Last week, we covered how Camp Fire fits into the greater SEL conversation What in the World is Social-Emotional Learning?. Today, we want to give you a couple further resources if you want to go deeper. Hey, maybe SEL is your spark, too!
Ready to learn? Check out CASEL, The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. They’ve got a host of research, resources and
partnerships to advance SEL.
We love how they describe SEL’s core competencies:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
Ready to really get into the weeds? Check out Preparing Youth to Thrive: Promising Practices for Social & Emotional Learning
By Charles Smith, Ph.D., Gina McGovern, Reed Larson, Ph.D., Barbara Hillaker, Ph.D., Stephen C. Peck, Ph.D.
Key Takeaway: This field guide uncovered SEL “standards”: Best practices that were being used across commendable Social-Emotional Learning programs, shared by experts, and were shown to work.
- Emotion Management: “Abilities to be aware of and constructively handle both positive and challenging emotions.”
- Empathy: “Relating to others with acceptance, understanding, and sensitivity to their diverse perspectives and experiences.”
- Teamwork: “Abilities to collaborate and coordinate action with others.”
- Responsibility: “Dispositions and abilities to reliably meet commitments and fulfill obligations of challenging roles.”
- Initiative: “Capacities to take action, sustain motivation, and persevere through challenge toward an identified goal.”
- Problem Solving: “Abilities to plan, strategize, and implement complex tasks.”
It all comes down to thriving youth and thriving adults. It’s our spark! This research excites us, and drives our work. Whether it’s camp, afterschool, teen leadership, or anything else – we love helping youth dive deeper into these important life skills.
Got SEL ideas, observations, or questions? Jump into the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter!
