Welcome to Santa Clara Meditation! π§ββοΈ How can we best support the mental well-being and character development of our youth in today’s fast-paced world? True character education goes beyond simply lecturing students; it requires giving them the practical tools to understand themselves and find inner peace.
In this post, we look back at the highly successful 2018 Autumn Conference hosted by the Academic Society for Human Completion. Held at Korea University, this event brought together hundreds of educators and citizens to explore how Mind Subtraction meditation is serving as a sustainable, practical method for youth character education. Discover the inspiring insights shared by academic leaders and teachers from the field! β¨
Youth Character Education and Meditation: Exploring Sustainable Practical Methods π±
Successfully held at the Korea University Science Library, attended by about 270 educators and members of the general public.
The Academic Society for Human Completion (President Lee) held its Autumn Conference under the theme, “Youth Character Education and Meditation: Exploring Sustainable Practical Methods,” on Friday, November 9, at the Science Library Auditorium of Korea University (Seoul Campus). π
Sponsored by the Ministry of Education, this academic conference was attended by former Minister of Education Seo, who participated as the keynote speaker; Vice President for Education at Korea University Park, who delivered the congratulatory remarks; and about 270 attendees, including principals, vice-principals, teachers in charge of character education, officials from youth education institutions, and members of the general public. π₯
In his congratulatory remarks, Vice President Park stated:
“I welcome hosting an academic conference on the theme of character education at Korea University, which is recognized as a hall of character education,” adding that character education should also be introduced in universities in the future. ποΈ
Former Minister of Education Seo, who delivered the keynote speech, emphasized that for true character education that meets the needs of changing times:
“It should not be about injecting existing concepts of character, but rather a character education where the youth become the active subjects.” He also noted, “Giving youth the opportunity to think about ‘who am I’ is the truly sustainable method of character education, and meditation can play an excellent role in this.” π‘
Following this, as a proposal for a sustainable character education practical method, Head of the School Meditation Support Team of the Character Education Support Group, Lee, gave a presentation. She detailed the composition and operational status of the ‘Self-Realizing Character Education Mind Subtraction Meditation Class’ program, which was developed by the research team of the Academic Society for Human Completion and certified as a Ministry of Education character education program this year. π
Team Head Lee explained:
“The Mind Subtraction Meditation Class program was developed based on meditation education that has been practiced in the school field for over 16 years, alongside continuous feedback and effectiveness research by scholars and teachers in charge of character education.”
She added, “A professional infrastructure has been established to expand the foundation of character education, including regional academic societies nationwide, about 140 incumbent teachers to guide meditation classes, and about 500 professional youth meditation instructors.” π©βπ«π¨βπ«
Next, there were presentations on practical cases. Youth meditation instructor Jang shared practical cases of meditation classes within the free-grade system. Following that, research member of the youth meditation camp, Teacher Shin, presented practical cases of meditation education as a youth training activity. π
In the final session, Professor Kim reviewed previously published research papers on the ‘Effects of Mind Subtraction Meditation on Youth,’ providing an opportunity to consider the value and applicability of meditation as a sustainable practical method for youth character education. π
Three years after the Character Education Promotion Act took effect and school character education became mandatory, the participants’ reactions to each speaker’s lecture were incredibly enthusiastic, reflecting the intense interest in practical methods for effective youth character education. At the booths operated alongside the academic conference, cases and materials of school meditation education were exhibited, and meditation programs tailored for youth, college students, and teachers were introduced, drawing significant attention from the attendees. πβ¨
President Lee expressed his gratitude for the highly favorable response from the participants, stating:
“The Academic Society for Human Completion has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to research and spread meditation-based sustainable practical methods for character education. With the enactment of the Character Education Promotion Act and school character education becoming mandatory, it seems that the results of our society’s silent efforts are now being further highlighted and recognized.”
He also shared his aspirations, adding, “We will continue to strive for the realization of true character education for the happiness of our youth.” ποΈπ
