Public Sector
Wales Mindfulness Story
“Under pressure, we do not rise to the level of our aspirations.
We fall to the level of our training.” – Bruce Lee
Background
Wales was the first country in the world to put the UN Sustainable Development Goals into legislation in the Well-being of Future Generations Act in 2015. Even before the creation of the Act, we recognised that making positive change in the world around us must be based on the changes that take place inside us. We established the first inner change programme for civil servants in 2012 which has now developed into a wider Culture Change Service that supports us in applying practice-based change.
The then First Minister, Mark Drakeford met with mindfulness practitioners and researchers in March 2019, instigating further work on embedding mindfulness and behavioural insights through a living strategy or ‘strategy-in-practice’ in Wales. Mark was the first national leader to address a national mindfulness gathering. He addressed the Wales Mindfulness Network Conference [DR1] in the Temple of Peace in November 2019. That same week, the Minister for Education launched mindfulness guidance to support implementation of the new curriculum in Wales.
The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) were officially founded in 2020, as an evidence-based response to the lack of progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They were co-designed by thousands of experts, practitioners and scientists internationally. They describe the inner skills and qualities foundational to sustainable development.
Recent activities
Applying the Well-being of Future Generations Act requires us to deepen our understanding and application of five ways of working – long term, prevention, integration, collaboration and involvement. The inner skills and qualities described by the Inner Development Goals are essential to this process. In 2023, Welsh Government integrated the Inner Development Goals into the Policy Capability Framework that underpins all of the policy and development practices of the Welsh Government.
The Global Leadership for Sustainable Development (GLSD) Programme supports participants to develop their inner capacities and integrate the IDGs into their processes, policies, strategies and operations, to accelerate their work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Four organisations in Wales took part in the programme in 2024: the Office of the Commissioner for Future Generations, Natural Resources Wales, the Wales Centre for International Affairs and the Welsh Government (elven participants in total).
Supported by Academi Wales and the Welsh Government’s Culture Change Service, participants established Tîm Cymru IDG for all those who are interested and involved in embedding the IDGs in Wales.
The core group meets regularly and works closely with the UK IDG team. On 17 and 18 September 2024 a UK IDG Gathering was held in Lancaster.
The first meeting of Tîm Cymru IDG took place on 3 October 2024.
Monthly online Zoom sessions are provided on Wednesdays from 4-5pm, for anyone who is leading community action to apply the Well-being of Future Generations Act in response to the poly-crisis in which we find ourselves.This group links IDG activists with People’s Practice, Creativity Biodiversity and Behaviour Change (CBBC)) and u-lab participants.
Other Communities of Practice are also available for those anyone with an interest in awareness-based approaches to implementing the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
Contact Diana via Sustainable.Futures@gov.wales if you would like to join Tîm Cymru IDG or one of the other communities of practice.
Useful links
Developing Agency in Urgent Times: https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org/agency-in-urgent-times
Meeting the Climate Crisis Inside Out: https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org/reconnection
Cymru Can strategy is relevant to this work: 2023-11-20-Strategy-English.pdf (futuregenerations.wales) encapsulating Wales’ future societal approach to sustainability and living well.
Mindfulness Wales
Mindfulness in Schools Wales (MISP)
Valleys Steps
Bangor CMRP
Here is a paper that refers to impacts from the WG Mindfulness Based behavioural Insights programme.
And here is our culture change manual.