“Mindfulness increases the pause between stimulus and response, and that pause lets us make better choices — for a better quality of life and better relationships. It also brings more compassion and empathy. Together, that’s what helps us work towards a more compassionate Wales.” (Chrissy Kitchiner)
Chrissy Kitchiner is the founder of Bee Present, a social enterprise community interest company based in North Wales. Bee Present aims to empower young people to strengthen their own physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. This is done through delivering funded and subsidised in-house mindfulness courses in schools and youth organisations. These courses are based on rigorous research, clinical psychology and neuroscience, written by teachers for teachers and put together by the international charity Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP).
“The learning is introduced through neuroscience stories, activities, exercises and practices, with an emphasis on living more mindfully than learning to meditate; being more mindful rather than doing mindfulness.” (Mindfulness in Schools Project curriculum)
As someone who grew up facing significant challenges and loss, and who is neurodivergent, Chrissy embarked on a healing journey of which mindfulness has been a big part. She began training with MiSP in 2022 and as part of the training committed to a dedicated mindfulness practice of six days a week. This disciplined practice gave her the gift of seeing for herself how mindfulness creates the possibility of more space between things happening and our reactions to them.
“It doesn’t make life perfect, but mindfulness gives me the time and space to pause between stimulus and response. That pause gives me the chance to make better choices — and that, in turn, gives me a better life.”
Building capacity to pause is the foundation of the MiSP courses that Chrissy and Bee Present offer, with each course incorporating different elements of mindfulness. Some introduce basic neuroscience, describing the biology of stimulus response in child-friendly ways, and a menu of mindfulness practices including mindful eating, sitting, and moving for the children to try out and choose from. Others bring a direct connection to the body into the practice, helping the children to name what they are experiencing in the moment, and it is in these modules that Chrissy has witnessed the most powerful impacts in the groups that she has facilitated.
“I think it is such a gamechanger, getting young people to connect to themselves in a way that they understand, where each of their experiences might be different and each one is welcomed as being ok. Even when they contact things like anger we can explore how this is natural and ok which allows for their experience to soften a little.”
Chrissy recognises that it is the children who need the tools the most that can be the hardest to reach. Every classroom holds a wide range of needs — some children carrying trauma, some neurodivergent, some neurotypical, each simply as they are — and Chrissy takes the safeguarding decision to sensitively deliver the course as if everyone has experienced trauma. Even so, there have been times where it has still felt hard to engage some pupils.
Despite the challenges, the feedback speaks for itself. Children, parents and teachers express how effective the teachings are and how the impacts of the courses sustain over time.
“Already my class is seeing the benefits of mindfulness. They are recognising the importance of focus and are understanding how they can best focus and relax. My class enjoys these sessions and look forward to practising the techniques throughout the week.” (primary school teacher)
“It helps me to concentrate more.”
“I have learnt how to stay calm before and during stressful situations.”
“It makes me relax and calms me down or when I get angry.”
“I like it because I get to work on my breathing which helps to calm me.”
“It helps me not think about anything bad anymore and it makes me very calm.”
“I have a list of practices in case I get stressed, and it calms me down.”
“I think the lessons helped me relax, prepare for something big (breathing technique) and calm me down when I need it.”
(primary school pupils)
To date, Bee Present has focussed on working with primary school children. Whilst Chrissy would like to attract more funding to offer courses to this age group, she feels there is also the possibility of opening things up to other ages.
Going forwards, Chrissy would like to support schools in embedding mindfulness practice into their day-to-day lives. Even five or ten minutes of meditation after morning registration, and again after lunchtime registration, could be a game changer for a school. She is also keen to link up with other teachers and explore further funding opportunities for service development and for her own personal CPD.
Finally, Chrissy stressed that she would really like to express her gratitude to Liz Williams, chair of mindfulness Wales for her phenomenal support, which was extraordinarily human, patient and inclusive.
To contact Chrissy or find more out about Bee Present please go:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Bee-Present/100090474164694
For more information on the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), please see:
Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) – Bringing Mindfulness to Schools