Dubai school opens UAE's first 'Mindfulness Room'

Greenfield Community School (GCS), a Taaleem school, will be ringing in the New Year with a focus on mindfulness and well-being.

The new "Mindfulness Room" in the school's Primary Department is a place for children to re-center themselves and grow as individuals while focusing on all things positive.

"Practicing mindfulness has profound impacts on children's health and overall well-being," says Rola Ghadban, the Mindfulness and Well-being Coordinator at GCS and the mastermind behind the project.

"In my classrooms, I have seen how a daily mindfulness practice can help our students' mental clarity, emotional intelligence and improve focus. My goal is to transcend the power of this life skill into an innovative space, accessible to all."

GCS's Mindfulness Room is more than just a relaxing environment for students to escape to, it also contains IPads with guided meditation routines, a Gratitude Tree for students to display what they are thankful for, a sensory room with a range of stimuli to engage the senses, a reading area, and a positive affirmation wall. 

The first of its kind in the UAE, and perhaps in the Middle East, the Mindfulness Room at GCS will be open to all Primary students and utilized throughout the school day.

"At Greenfield Community School we provide a balanced education, one that acknowledges that academic success is built on a foundation of happiness, well-being and sound values. This room is an expression of that sense of balance and the need for perspective and calm in a busy world," says Principal Andy Wood.

"It isn't enough that our students be knowledgeable, we also want them to be well-rounded and happy individuals."

Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, Greenfield Community School, located in Green Community/DIP, Dubai, UAE, is one of only a handful of schools worldwide offering all four International Baccalaureate Programmes: from the Primary Years Programme (PYP), through to the Middle Years Programme (MYP) to the culminating Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB's Career-related Certificate (IBCC).

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