Mindful Hearts: Kimberley Remote Schools learning Yoga to improve resilience

Remote schools in Western Australia's Kimberley region embed a unique curriculum into their community with a custom-fit Mindful Movement education program that respects Indigenous practices and community-led wellbeing with the social-emotional health and wellbeing program Mindful Hearts.

Western Australia has 32.2% of all remote/very remote students in Australia, with 92 schools appearing on the very remote schools list as of February 2019. Yogazeit's fresh approach to a customised Yoga and Mindfulness curriculum might just be key to ensuring the sustainability of professional learning for Western and Indigenous staff and community members at remote schools. A key finding of the project impact report being the transfer of knowledge from community members to the new teaching team. Astrong indicator of program sustainability and community buy-in.

The community co-designed the Mindful Hearts program. AIEOs, Elders, and children see their language in the classroom, on cards illustrated by the children at the school and it is incorporated into the school day with in language yoga and mindfulness brain breaks. This unique Aboriginal community-driven desire to foster learning and engagement for Western staff allowed Yogazeit to continue education for Wangkatjungka Remote Community School in August 2023 when we revisited the school to provideprofessional development to new teachers and develop a Mindful Hearts Impact film and customised digital resources for Wangkatjungka Remote Community School.

Kerry Anne AIEO at Wangkatjungkaa Remote Community School shares more about how the program makes her feel "It makes me feel proud to see the Mindful Movement resources, and I'm feeling grateful and happy because I can see my language is written on the cards. Yoga helps inside of your body. It helps when we feel stressed or we want to calm down. One of the favourite shapes I use is when the kids get up and walk around I ask them to do Kali (Boomerang) "

Boomerang is just one of 57 shapes found in the indigenous curriculum, it has physical and mental benefits and supports staff as well as students. By providing in language wellbeing brain breaks into the school day we are providing opportunities for staff to support their own well-being and then have tools to co-regulate the children in their care.

Aboriginal Outreach Lead Sharnell Avery explains what the key to the program is "Yarning is an important part of our consultation. We take the time to listen and learn about a community's unique strengths and challenges. We saw community members began independently sharing the activities at local community events and to other mobs in the wider region immediately after our first consultation so it's no surprise to see the strength of the program some 18 months later "

Embracing the differences at each remote school is the success of Mindful Hearts, as it supports Social Emotional Wellbeing for Aboriginal youth and the wider community by fostering the positives that already exist in the community.