What are we here for?
Walking Within® is a social enterprise registered as Mann Aranya Education Foundation, which is aimed at working towards socio emotional wellbeing and thinking skills of students and youth, in keeping with contemporary needs and evolving times. These capacities are aligned to lifeskills which are relevant for 21st century living and working. We aim to work with students, youth and equip them with capacities where they embrace life with sensitivity, authenticity and intellectual clarity.
The Idea behind the organization
Walking Within aims to give a sound foundation to students and youth so that they have a good understanding of their inner processes on both psychological and cognitive levels. With the right foundation of disciplined thinking and psychological wellness, the choices, behaviors and actions that follow at personal, work or wider social level would be qualitatively richer and meaningful.
The name Mann Aranya is a metaphor for ‘mind as a forest’ which we need to navigate carefully by understanding its pathways and rhythm. Our actions emerge out of a complex internal reality comprising of our thoughts, values, beliefs, and emotions. A good understanding of our internal psychological faculties would make our responses and actions more considered. This process of becoming aware of our inner faculties and to be able to work on them requires us to ‘walk within’ and thereby the name of the organization. Thus, having a good awareness of our internal system and tools to work on them can help us relate to ourselves as well as with the wider world, with care and clarity. This is fundamental to a peaceful society and democracy.
Our Focus Areas
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Socio Emotional Wellbeing
It is the capacity of individuals to feel comfortable within their own selves, get to recognize and manage their emotions, be aware of the social reality that they are part of and play a constructive role in improving it further. The schooling process is largely tilted towards realizing academic proficiencies. Aspects which are part of the interior lives of children generally remain unattended. This not only impacts the immediate wellbeing of the children, but also impacts their social and economic life further down.
As per Economic Survey of 2023-24 “This ‘great rewiring of childhood’ has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism.”
As per WHO “The consequences of failing to address adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults”
Nurturing Higher Order Thinking Skills
The second dimension of work is on Cognitive Growth or Thinking Skills whose salience is rising with time. Thinking skills are fundamental capacities which are relevant to all of us. Our interventions are directed at making individuals become aware of their thinking process, of vulnerabilities of human cognition and to have requisite tools to work on them continually.
The National Education Policy 2020 emphasized the need to move away from rote memorization based teaching learning and towards more progressive teaching learning practices. It states “Curriculum content will … make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning. The mandated content will focus on key concepts, ideas, applications, and problem-solving”.
If individuals are thoughtful, emotionally safe and operate out of a sense of authenticity and care, they can play a valuable role at work, home and wider society.
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No, Silicon Valley – bugs are not features. Reach out about a technical issue, share your feedback or ask us about our favorite lunch spot in Miami. We’re here no matter what.
