Smirti Sharma

Bold Idea: What if learners are skilled in how to mindfully take care of themselves and our environment?

Path to Metis: With more than 20 years’ experience in the education industry from teaching in classrooms to ECD teacher training and curriculum development in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kenya & Zanzibar with the Aga Khan Foundation, Smriti has a wealth of experience. She started off as a Montessori Guide in Singapore and England, then volunteered with street boys in Tanzania and helped set up the first Montessori school in Belize for vulnerable and at-risk children.

The seed of mindfulness in education was planted in her after attending an educator’s retreat in London, 2012 run by the late great Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. As she grew steadily in her own mindfulness practice, taking more courses on how to teach it in child friendly ways, her passion blossomed towards introducing this to children. The Covid outbreak led her to start a course with her friend, colleague, and co-founder Aleema Noormohamed. They founded Nurture ‘n’ Nature in May 2021 and have conducted courses for children in Karura forest and run their program for prestigious schools such as Braeburn, Hillcrest, International School Kenya, Kenton, Maple Bear and Kabete Junior Academy.

Their vision is to make this accessible to more children as they believe in equity for disseminating mindfulness and eco-therapy to improve the quality of life for all children. This will lead to mental health awareness and wellness for all, including respect and reverence for the environment. They applied under the track of climate change as linking the well-being of the planet to our own is key, as Thich Nhat Hanh’s philosophy of “inter-being” stipulates that one cannot be separated from the other.

Links:

Instagram & Facebook accounts: nurturenature.22 https://www.linkedin.com/in/smriti-sharma-85bb5914/

https://nation.africa/kenya/blogs-opinion/blogs/mindfulness-skills-equip-a-child-for-the-21st-century-3688634

https://www.amazon.com/arya/webplayer?marketplaceId=AF2M0KC94RCEA&initialCPLaunch=true&useRelativeUrl=true&asin=B09WZ4H8LQ&language=en_US&fetchNewPlayQueue=true&contentDeliveryType=PodcastEpisode

Summary: Join the Awakening Educator as Megan talks with two of the grantees from her School Stories project: Nature and Nurture with Smriti Sharma, who shares how she is bringing mindfulness to students in Kenya. Disrupting systemic racism with Anashay Wright, who shares why we need to build a new table, rather than creating a space for BIPOC at our current "table."

https://www.justjhoom.co.uk/mmm-season-3/ Aleema Noormohamed & Smriti Sharma

Mindfulness Practitioners What happens when you get three mindfulness practitioners in the same room? Well, the conversation just does not stop!