Ava Van Straten

The Common More includes the life skills we all need to be a community -- a local, national, and global community - and a community where everyone feels respected and loved. Just imagine what we could all rise to if this was true.

So how do we get here? We start with ourselves. Each of us. We understand and habitually practice core values like human kindness, empathy, respect (and self-respect), inclusion, goal-setting, etc.

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Social and emotional learning skills can be taught, learned, and must be nurtured. Children who learn free from bullying; with active discussions about empathy, inclusion, and differences; and where they are engaged in empowering discussion about mental health are children who will learn more, be more successful, and become our next generation of leaders, parents, and active citizens! 

 

By all of us working together to promote social and emotional learning in education, we can and will address the enduring inequalities of our times.

So I am authoring social and emotional learning children’s books and creating associated curricula on my Common More, and, through fundraising, I can distribute it to schools and organizations for free. My goal is to help children, first through fourth grades, grow in their understanding of the Common More.