The Journeys approach to building a safe, inclusive and positive school and fostering social and emotional learning

Abstract

Certain conditions of the school and classroom environment—
such as encouraging and appreciative classrooms, physical
and emotional safety and responsiveness to diversity, among
others—positively support students’ social and emotional
learning (SEL). Therefore, SEL programming that provides both
instruction to students and also serves to establish the school
and classroom conditions that support SEL are recommended—
blended approaches. With funding from USAID/Uganda under the
Literacy Achievement and Retention Activity, RTI International,
in partnership with the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports
(MoES), developed a blended approach to SEL programming,
which is the Journeys approach. The Journeys approach involves
co-curricular activities that serve to directly strengthen students’
social and emotional (SE) skills. At the same time, it inspires and
guides school staff and community members in establishing the
learning conditions that foster SEL. The Journeys activities for
students, school staff and community members apply a variety
of awareness-building social technologies—such as guided
reflection, dialogue, interactive games, and art and drama—to
enable independent thinking about the nature and obstacles to a
positive school climate and how to establish classrooms and out-ofclassroom
environments that foster SEL.