Dalai Lama Center
Every Heart-Mind Box helps educate the hearts of children
When you buy a Heart-Mind Box, 50% of net proceeds go to the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, a secular, non-political charity in Vancouver, Canada. The Center helps the adults in children's lives (parents, teachers, coaches and caregivers) nurture compassion, resilience and inner calm in the young people they care for.
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
How it began
In 2004, during the Dalai Lama's visit to Vancouver, His Holiness and author Victor Chan began talking about the future of education. The Dalai Lama said plainly that schools must balance educating the mind with educating the heart. He asked a simple question: "How can we educate the hearts of children?"
Soon after, he endorsed the founding of the Dalai Lama Center. It was established as a charity on September 21, 2005, and asked to gather scientific research and build evidence-based programs showing that educating the heart benefits both individuals and their communities.
Secular and independent
The Center is one of the few organizations in the world personally endorsed by the Dalai Lama, but it works independently. His Holiness asked that it have no religious or political ties, so that everyone can use its programs. It does not raise money for the Tibetan government in exile. It is funded by donations and grants from individuals, foundations, companies and government, and by fundraisers like the Heart-Mind Box.
Twenty years of work
- 2004: The Dalai Lama visits Vancouver and agrees to co-found the Center.
- 2005: The Center is established as a charity, with an international advisory board.
- 2009: Hosts the Vancouver Peace Summit, bringing together Nobel Peace laureates and thought leaders including Jane Goodall, Mary Robinson and Sir Ken Robinson.
- 2012: Launches a bold vision for British Columbia's children and youth.
- 2013: Develops the Heart and Mind Index with the University of British Columbia to support children's social and emotional learning.
- 2014: Launches heartmindonline.org, a free library of research-backed resources for parents and educators.
- 2015: British Columbia makes social and emotional learning a core part of its school curriculum, an early move in North America that matches the Dalai Lama's vision.
- 2020: Moves its programs online and starts supporting healthcare professionals in fostering children's well-being.
- 2021–2022: Reaches more than 56,000 people through workshops and online courses, more than 165,000 through live webinars, and logs more than 520,000 interactions on Heart-Mind Online.
- 2024: Celebrates 20 years and sets a goal of bringing education of the heart to millions of children across North America.
Distinguished advisors
The Center's international advisory board, chaired by the Dalai Lama, has included Nobel Peace Prize laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Betty Williams, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Jody Williams, Mairead Maguire and Shirin Ebadi, as well as President Jimmy Carter.
What is Heart-Mind Well-Being?
Heart-Mind Well-Being is the Center's name for "educating the heart." Research shows that nurturing social and emotional development improves mental and physical health and helps children learn. The Center focuses on five qualities:
- Secure and calm
- Getting along with others
- Alert and engaged
- Solving problems peacefully
- Compassionate and kind
Every Heart-Mind Box is built around these ideas, with something to help you connect with others, something to help you care for yourself, and a link to the science behind well-being.
How the partnership works
The Heart-Mind Box is a fundraiser for the Dalai Lama Center. Minimus Brands handles sourcing, storage and shipping, and 50% of net proceeds from every box go to the Center.