SIPPA Interview: Emily Larson
Tell us who you are, what you do, why you do it, how’d you get there, and your history with positive psychology.
I am a researcher, instructor, and practitioner in the field of positive education. Above all else, I am a passionate advocate for teaching students the skills needed to flourish.
Before becoming the Head of Research for the International Positive Education Network (IPEN), I studied psychology at Grand Valley State University as an undergraduate and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with my Masters in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP).
During my MAPP course, I worked with Alejandro Adler, a PhD student of Martin Seligman’s on positive education projects in Nepal and India. I traveled to Nepal for the first time in February of 2013 to train teachers and students in a positive psychology curriculum we developed. At a slum school called Koseli I finally got to see the fruits of our labor – students as young as two years old meditating, practicing gratitude, and understanding what their strengths were. From that moment, I fell in love with taking the best research in positive psychology and turning it in to tangible lesson plans that can change lives.
IPEN
1. History of IPEN
IPEN was born out of a meeting between IPEN Chairman, James O’Shaughnessy, and Martin Seligman back in 2013. James and Marty brought together the top thought leaders in positive education for a 3-day summit at Downing No.10 and Wellington College. What came out of this meeting were two things:
1. Despite geographic and semantic differences, everyone was practicing an ‘Academics + Character & Well-being’ approach to education.
2. There was a need for a governing body that brought together people who worked in this space and provided them with best practices and research on positive education.
Thus, the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) was formed.
2. People of IPEN
There are three main groups that make up IPEN:
1. IPEN Steering Committee – A group of 16 accomplished leaders in the field of positive education. More information on our steering committee can be found here.
2. IPEN Global Representatives – A globally diverse group of 31 individuals who together represent 23 different countries. IPEN Global Representative bios can be found here.
3. IPEN Network – Anyone who signs the IPEN Manifesto is automatically considered a part of the vast global network that is IPEN.
3. Mission
Positive education challenges the current paradigm of education, which values academic attainment above all other goals. Drawing on classical ideals, we believe that the DNA of education is a double helix with intertwined strands of equal importance: Academics + Character & Well-being.
The aim of positive education is to equip young people with the knowledge and life skills to flourish and contribute to the flourishing of others. In order to accomplish these goals, IPEN has three overarching aims: reform policy, change education practice, and support collaboration.
More information on IPEN’s values, mission, and goals can be found in our manifesto online.
Launch and progress of IPEN
IPEN officially launched in December 2015. One of the big questions IPEN was set up to test was ‘is there a global desire for a new paradigm in education?’ Five months after our launch, the IPEN website has been viewed by 133 countries; further, individuals, organizations, and schools have reached out to IPEN with a desire for positive education. We feel that there is global interest in positive education, which leads us to consider phase 2 of IPEN that will materialize through the following activities:
IPEN website 2.0
o The second launch of the IPEN website will be the ‘epicenter’ of positive education. This version of the website will be a repository of free materials including: academic articles, positive education lesson plans and curriculum, and an online learning community to support collaboration.
Mini-Conferences
o Since this network is international, IPEN plans to have a presence at as many conferences as possible. So far we will have speakers at the 4th World Congress on Positive Psychology, Character Scotland conference, the WISE summit, Character.org conference, and the Sunday Times Education Festival.
The Festival of Positive Education 2016
o With the help of Live Happy, IPEN has recently announced our plans to host the 1st Festival of Positive Education July 18th-20th, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. This event will bring together the leaders in positive education to share their work and collaborate. More than anything, we hope this festival will kick start the global shift to valuing ‘academics + character & well-being’ approach to education. So far, speakers include Martin Seligman, Anthony Seldon, and Angela Duckworth.
SIPPA Students
Are there any opportunities for students to get involved with IPEN directly?
IPEN will have a big presence at the 4th World Congress on Positive Psychology June 25-28th. As part of this, we would love to up our social media presence during these three days. If any students will be attending the Congress and would like to help, please contact me PosEdNet@gmail.comand we will get you involved!
Advice for students who wish to make an impact in the field of positive psychology?
My advice for anyone getting involved in the field of positive psychology is twofold:
1. Find what area of impact you are most passionate about. Positive psychology is a broader movement than most people realize. Aspiring to become an expert in all facets of positive psychology can be daunting and ineffective – find what area speaks most to you and dive in wholeheartedly.
2. Find a mentor. Having mentors throughout my career has been the most powerful ingredient in getting me to where I am today. Starting out in a field can be overwhelming – with humility, accept that you can’t possibly know everything and be open to learning from others.