Happy Schools Project aims to support the work of schools across the city to enable a positive, solutions focussed, collaborative and enabling mindset to be spread from pupil to pupil, teacher to teacher and parent to parent.

The Happy Schools framework focuses on:

• Relationships – how to develop enabling, encouraging and nurturing relationships throughout the school – between pupils, teachers, parents and staff.
• The positive power of difference – how to make diversity the key to a happier environment for all, and enable individual differences to become the lifeblood of collective strength
• Positive Learning – embedding a solutions focussed mindset that allows what works to thrive, solutions to multiply and creativity to blossom. Creating places where strengths are uncovered, celebrated, valued and built upon.
• ‘Can do’ and ‘We not me’ thinking to be the norm – helping create a school community where each person belongs, all contributions are valued and everyone knows they can make a difference
• The Roots and Shoots of Happiness – tips, activities and community habits that drip feed happiness generating actions in small simple ways throughout the school day

The Happy City School's Team is available to work with schools in the following ways:

• Training sessions with Teachers and staff in all aspects of Happy Schools skills, tools and activities, equipping them to work with students across the school day by integrating Happiness skills into normal school routines
• Happiness workshops for different classes (or key stage groups) to ‘kick start’ the process of integrating happiness and community building work into the lifeblood of the school and preparing the way for the methods and activities that teachers would then embed within classes.
• Training sessions for parents to help them replicate some of these practices at home
• A series of sessions with teachers and school management to help integrate positive messaging, collaborative thinking, and solutions focussed activity across the curriculum and school systems & environment
• A full Happy City Schools Programme, tailor-made with the school team themselves, involving aspects of all the above, and working towards an end of year Happiness Day, Happiness Awards and full Happy Schools status being awarded.

All Happy City sessions are fun, playful, interactive and adaptable. They result in a strengthened sense of real ‘community’ within and around the school. Places where each member (pupil, staff, teachers, parents) recognises that their actions, words and decisions impact on others, and where each person chooses to make sure that impact is positive because of their shared sense of belonging, of value and of pride in that community.

This is currently a pilot programme, with a view to city-wide and UK rollout out in 2012-15. The Happy City Team, has over 15 years experience of delivering such impactful work across the world with everyone from International Leaders, to community workers, youth leaders, schools, businesses and public bodies. They have worked with children and young people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities and have a proven track-record of success with individuals and groups in every sector.

We have funding from The Network for Social Change, to run a pilot in Bristol from Sept-Dec 2011. We are currently seeking funding to allow Happy Schools Initiative to roll out to other schools in Bristol in 2012.

For more information download a pdf project outline below, or give us a call.