Help teachers educate a mindful generation

Over the past months, we have continued to advance the development of NowHere, our contemplative education initiative that brings mindfulness, relational awareness, and ecological sensitivity into educational settings. Below is a summary of our recent progress and upcoming plans.

Program Development

We have been developing the materials for the NowHere Pilot Program, an 8-week journey designed to help adults—teachers, parents, and caregivers—engage three essential dimensions of contemplative learning: Exploring Experience, Exploring Nature, and Exploring with Others.

Each session combines guided practices, reflection prompts, and experiential activities that cultivate presence, curiosity, and compassion—both inwardly and within a group.

Recruitment for the Pilot Program

We are now beginning the recruitment process for participants in the first NowHere Pilot Program. We are targeting adults interested in experiencing contemplative practices in education firsthand and providing feedback to shape the next phase of development.

The 8-week pilot will serve as both a testing ground and a learning community, allowing us to evaluate how the curriculum supports personal transformation and pedagogical innovation.

Supplementary Resources

To enrich the printed NowHere Guidebook, we have been creating audio materials for many of the practices, offering participants an embodied way to engage with the exercises.

In addition, we are designing extra classroom activities for educators who wish to bring NowHere-inspired contemplative explorations to their students. 

Next Steps

Our next phase includes several key developments:

• Finalize the Pilot Program Materials: editing, design, and review of the printed and digital components.
  
  
• Create an Online Resource Page: a digital companion to the printed guide where participants can access audio recordings, supplemental readings, and teaching materials.
  
  
• Develop a Registration and Landing Page: to share information about the pilot program, invite participation, and connect with educators and communities.
  
  
• Prepare for Implementation: The pilot program is expected to launch next year, providing an essential opportunity to evaluate outcomes, gather insights, and refine the program before its broader rollout.
  
  

Looking Ahead

The NowHere Project continues to evolve as a living collaboration between contemplative inquiry, education, and community practice. Thank you for accompanying us in this journey of presence, discovery, and transformation.

Center for Creative Inquiry extends its gratitude to GlobalGiving and the helpful, consistent support of the donors we have been connected to here. While we still have a ways to go in meeting our goal, we see the commitment in both our in-person and online community to promote our wish in developing an educational guidebook and educator's manual designed to equip educators with the insights and practical tools to bring Nowhere into classrooms.

We have had some exciting developments over in Berkeley, CA! We took part in Downtown Berkeley's Bay Area Book Festival, with CCI taking this opportunity to host a soft launch of its new space on Harold Way, setting up tables that it shared with its sister organization, Mangalam Press. Jack Petranker, senior teacher at CCI, led two 20 minute full presence mindfulness sessions during the festival, opening CCI’s doors to the public for the first time. More than two dozen people attended each session.

The interest expressed by community members and newcomers of all ages confirmed that CCI could offer the Berkeley community a thriving space for exploring mindfulness, full presence, and creativity. We are excited to take what we have learned from the Book Festival and apply it to our offerings going forward.

Links:

• Our site which is anticipating some updates to come soon!