The Global Mindfulness Collaborative (GMC) was developed with participation from an international group of MBSR teacher trainers and colleagues, all of whom were committed to offering evidence-based MBSR teacher training in alignment with high quality standards. To promote consistency in those standards and to foster scalability across the United States and the world, GMC members agreed to use the teacher training curricula as developed by the Mindfulness Center at Brown University (MC@B), while allowing for recursive feedback from members to ensure quality while meeting specific cultural and language needs.
As the GMC has become a robust multi-cultural, multi-country organization, a collective decision was made to take the next organizational step to becoming an independent, self-governing entity. Expressed in this decision, is the value of collaboration developed through mutual respect, support and shared commitment to providing MBSR Teacher Training that adheres to the highest standards of excellence.
This shift to self-governance builds the potential for greater access and inclusion, collective innovation, and stronger cross-cultural relationships, while maintaining alignment to a shared, consistent MBSR Teacher Training curriculum in order to foster standardization, quality, research, and scalability. As a result, each GMC member will have the opportunity for greater influence through more active participation and be less constrained by institutional formalities.
We remain committed to serving our global communities through offering an evidence-based MBSR curriculum, MBSR Teacher Training curricula provided by the MC@B, and adhering to Standards of Practice and Good Practice Guidelines. All GMC members are in alignment with the global ethics, embodied practice, and current standards for teachers and teacher trainers as articulated in the International Mindfulness Integrity Network.
What remains the same with this change:
We are committed to the same level of rigor, standards, and integrity in practice and teaching;
All those in the GMC will continue to offer MBSR using the latest curricula, updated by Florence Meleo-Meyer and Lynn Koerbel at the MC@B and in collaboration with, and approved by the MBSR founder Jon Kabat-Zinn;
All those in the GMC will continue to offer MBSR Professional Teacher Training using the latest curricula developed by the MC@B; and
With verification from the respective GMC member, all students of GMC members recommended by their trainers will be listed on the Mindfulness Center at Brown’s website showing successful completion of training.
From the beginning the Mindfulness Center at Brown positioned itself as a peer among us while developing and sharing curricula to align our work and support the field. This remains true going forward.
As adaptations of MBSR emerge and are researched and validated for efficacy, the GMC may choose to expand its program offerings collectively.
This new organizational form seeks to embody the recognition of self-sovereignty that MBSR offers as transformational practice. We collaborate from our abundance of strengths, contributing resources in teaching, research, and peer support as needs arise. We stand, together, in support of one another and the communities we serve, to foster the clarity, care, and kindness needed to minimize harm and maximize human flourishing.
We are grounded by a shared Mission, Vision and Values.
Mission:
To collaborate globally in offering rigorous Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher training adhering to recognized international standards of practice and grounded in fidelity to foundational roots of MBSR originally developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn with inclusivity, accessibility, and evidence-based efficacy within its contemplative tradition.
Vision:
To nurture the innate wholeness, goodness, and human potential of all, awakening to the interdependent nature of all things in bringing forth a responsive, caring world.
For more information about our mission and vision, and including our values, please see below.
Who are we and where are we from: (list alpha by country:
COUNTRY ORGANIZATION
Argentina Sociedad Mindfulness y Salud
Canada Mindfulness and Well Being Consultancy, Inc.
Canada Center for Mindfulness Canada
China ATINAT Institute of Mindfulness Training
Denmark The Danish Center for Mindfulness
Finland Center for Mindfulness, Finland
France, Belgium, Switzerland Association pour le Developpement de la Mindfulness
Germany Center for Mindfulness, Germany
Italy Motus Mundi
Mexico Instituto Mexicano de Mindfulness
South Korea Korea Center for Mindfulness
Spain Nirakara
United States of America Mindfulness Teacher Training Alliance
United States of America Mindfulness Center at Brown University
With our awareness heightened by a number of recent transnational crises, the need for more diverse voices is imperative; we believe that a self-governed, self-regulated GMC will provide a more accessible platform that will strengthen interconnectedness on a global scale.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q: When will the GMC organizational structure change from formal affiliation with the MB@B to an independent self-governing body?
A: January 1, 2021
Q: How does this change impact students of GMC Members who have been part of the MBSR Teacher Training pathway affiliated with the MC@B?
A: The MC@B recognizes all GMC members as MBSR Teacher Trainers and the member organizations as MBSR Teacher Training centers. All GMC members are aligned with the MC@B and have permission to use their Teacher Training pathway curricula. With verification from the respective GMC member, all students of GMC members recommended by their trainers will be listed on the Mindfulness Center at Brown’s website showing successful completion of training.
This applies to those who are in the pathway now, to anyone who starts between now and December 31, 2020, and to all those who begin their training on January 1, 2021.
Letters of Completion: MBSR Teacher Training pathway students who began their training prior to December 31, 2020, and/or those in the process of certification will be recognized with a letter of completion from both the MC@B and the GMC member, as well as listed on the MC@B website. Those who start their training and certification after December 31 will receive a letter of completion from the GMC member which may acknowledge that this training adheres to the latest evidence-based MBSR curriculum and MBSR Teacher Training curricula provided by the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. As stated above, with verification from the respective GMC member, all students of GMC members recommended by their trainers will be listed on the Mindfulness Center at Brown’s website showing successful completion of training.
Q: Will the MC@B be part of the GMC?
A: Yes.