What do you want most for your children? If you are like most parents, your answer will probably mimic what community parents said when SAFE asked them that very question. They did not mention academic intellect or worldly or material accomplishments. Instead, SAFE found that most parents hoped for their child to be a good and happy person. They used words such as honesty, self-efficacy, purpose, kindness, confidence, empathy and self-love to describe what they want for their children’s future. In summation, we don’t want our children to be depressed or anxious, we want more than that—we want them to flourish.
Lucky for us, research in the field of positive psychology has shown that these kinds of traits and behaviors can be taught; moreover, they should be taught. While 50% of our happiness is genetic, 10% is due to external circumstances and a huge 40% of our happiness is determined by our intentional thoughts, behavior and actions. We can control our well-being, and at SAFE, we want to share that power with our youth.
Meet Cynthia Kassin, SAFE’s new Director of Community Education. Cynthia is overseeing the strategic innovation of The Project Safe School Program and bringing in cutting-edge practices focused on positive youth development. Both SAFE and Cynthia recognize that, as a community, our greatest responsibility is to the next generation. We need to prepare those who come after us with the best social and emotional skills to take on the many challenges of an ever-changing world.
With a BA in child development and happiness from NYU Gallatin, and an MA in Psychology from Pace University, Cynthia is the ideal choice for this new role at SAFE. She completed two years as a teaching assistant at NYU in their immensely popular Science of happiness class and taught an elective at Flatbush HS on the same subject. She was a SAFE teacher, as well. As Cynthia joins the Project SAFE team, she plans to bring more to the students in terms of fostering a lifelong foundation for their overall happiness and well being.
Since 2003, SAFE has been working diligently to educate our youth on the threat of addiction and the necessary life skills that will guard them against life’s challenges. Each week, in a supportive peer forum lead by a SAFE trained teacher, SAFE class gives students a time in their school day to voice their thoughts and questions about everything from personal and social dilemmas to the challenges and anxieties that may arise growing up in our community.
Cynthia plans to further SAFE’s commitment to educate and care for our community’s future generation through updating and revising the content and approach of Project SAFE’s school curriculum, training an incredible group of Project SAFE teachers in the philosophies of positive psychology, and inviting parents and students to collaborate in the classroom.
So, what exactly is positive psychology and how can it help our students not only survive, but also thrive? Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life worth living. Using specific practices, interventions and tools, this branch of psychology gives us insight into the practical contributors to our happiness. Studies show that simple techniques, such as keeping a gratitude journal or counting one’s blessings, can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Flow, or the ability to lose oneself in a positive passion, is another promotion technique that SAFE seeks to encourage, by planning a teen version of the annual summer FARM event, where young adults come together to share music, art and creative expression.
Additionally, Project Safe believes that educating students about adolescent brain growth, sleep, hygiene, mindfulness, and emotional awareness and understanding provides a beautiful opportunity to build our future generation’s resilience, confidence, and self-efficacy so that they will better respond to inevitable challenges.
As Project SAFE moves forward with its exciting improvements, Cynthia acknowledges that while research has finally provided practical tools for living a happy life, our Torah has always been a permanent and pervasive base of these positive psychology teachings. We have a commandment in our Torah to be happy, as is written Vesamachta bechagecha, and our Torah is filled with examples of practices for well-being, such as expressing gratitude every day in prayer. Everything we are learning from research can be found somewhere in Judaism, and Cynthia’s constant aspiration for Project SAFE is to blend the two.
It is our job, as a community of parents, teachers, rabbis, coaches, and other leaders, to help our students not just survive, but also thrive. Cynthia’s willingness to learn from others, as well as her knowledge and interest in the brain development of adolescents, informs her passion for community education and youth advocacy. Blending her passion for guiding our youth and the study of happiness, she hopes to introduce and implement new techniques to our school systems so that our youth have the best resources in order to grow into confident, capable, self-actualized adults. SAFE welcomes her to the team and looks forward to an exciting school year with much in store for our students.
For more information on Project Safe or to volunteer with the School Program, please email Cynthia at cynthia@thesafefoundation.org. For general questions or information about SAFE please email us at ask@thesafeoundation.org or follow us on Instagram @thesafefoundation. If you or a loved one needs help, please call our confidential hotline: (718) GET-SAFE.
