The COVID-19 situation, coupled with the rise in political and ideological extremism, has exacerbated existing mental health challenges amongst young people worldwide as social distancing and online or blended learning models are becoming the new normal.  In this context, the need to advocate and mainstream the integration of  Social and Emotional Learning or SEL into the education system has become paramount.

The panel sought to explore topics such as the contextualization and localization of the developmental frameworks, the need for longitudinal research on the lifetime benefits of SEL, the universal and local definition of SEL,  the channelization of SEL-focused energy to sustain structures, the community and culture-centric language of SEL, SEL as a social justice phenomenon, and the foundational principles of SEL in digital spaces.  

Throughout the conversation, the issue of “How can we support social-emotional learning for student success?” was considered and discussed.

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