NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Urban Assembly and SEL4US are proud to announce that Friday, March 27, 2020 will be the inaugural International SEL Day. This new initiative aims to create an annual global campaign to recognize the immense value of social and emotional learning (SEL), and support the implementation of SEL in schools and communities around the world. On SEL Day, officials, educators, and community groups are encouraged to create activities and events that raise awareness for SEL by demonstrating its importance to the academic and social development of young people across the globe.
International SEL Day co-sponsors Urban Assembly and SEL4US have launched the official website, selday.org, which includes toolkits that will guide participants in showcasing, promoting, supporting, and advocating for SEL in schools, organizations, and communities worldwide. SEL Day toolkits include: resources and informational tools to showcase high-quality SEL implementation; templates that will help participants activate their communities, stakeholders and public officials; and sample SEL activities and events to promote SEL Day.
Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults acquire skills necessary to manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Multiple studies show that teaching SEL in schools improves well-being and academic outcomes, builds positive school climate, and provides children with necessary skills to excel in the workforce.
According to research from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL interventions can increase students' academic performance by 11 percentile points, improve classroom behavior, and increase ability to manage stress and depressions. CASEL and collaborating researchers conducted more than 82 studies on nearly 100,000 students worldwide and found that SEL programming can have a positive impact on the academic, social lives, and decision making of young people for up to 18 years.
"Social and emotional learning is foundational to building community," says David Adams, Director of Social Emotional Learning at Urban Assembly. "As we recognize SEL Day, I look forward to extending our community of practice across the country and beyond."
"SEL Day is an exciting opportunity to join together with people around the globe," says Nova Biro of the SEL4US Leadership Team. "We are amplifying our voices to highlight the importance and positive impact of social and emotional learning in our schools, organizations, and communities."
International SEL Day is Friday, March 27, 2020. Schools and community organizations who want to participate in SEL Day can sign up and find more information at selday.org.
About Urban Assembly
The Urban Assembly was founded in 1997 under the mission of advancing students' social and economic mobility by improving public education. In partnership with the NYC Department of Education, the UA has created 23 small, career-themed middle and high schools throughout New York City, and adopted three pre-existing schools into their network. Annually the UA serves nearly 10,0000 students in New York City and beyond through social and emotional learning, academic and leadership support, career readiness, and postsecondary access and success programs.
About SEL4US
SEL4US (sel4us.org) was founded in 2019 to empower local advocates to influence and support their communities to implement high-quality social and emotional learning. SEL4US is a national membership organization that works at the state and community levels to raise awareness of the benefits of SEL, promote and support SEL implementation, and advance policies and funding to sustain and spread the use of high-quality SEL.
SOURCE Urban Assembly
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