In New Mexico, Brain Education instructors at the Body and Brain Center have been engaged in outreach activities since 2012 aimed at promoting Brain Education among local children and teenagers. These activities started with the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Fe in 2012 and have since benefited many local schools and educational organizations such as the College of Education at New Mexico State University, the College of Education at the University of New Mexico, Santa Fe Public School, La Tierra Montessori School for the Arts and Sciences, and the State Board of Education in New Mexico, etc. to which the principles and activities of Brain Education were introduced.
These efforts have paid off with Brain Education included in training programs for school teachers and provided to students and teachers in New Mexico. In February 2023, the Senate of New Mexico declared Earth Citizens Day to promote Earth Citizenship for a sustainable ecosystem and world peace, the ultimate goal of Brain Education.
Designation of February 27, 2017 as Brain Education Day
In New Mexico, State Representative Linda Trujillo initiated a bill to designate February 27, 2017 as “Brain Education Day” to give due recognition to contributions made through Brain Education over the past five years across the state and it was passed by the State House of Representatives with unanimous votes. As a result, the New Mexico Departments of Higher Education and Public Education came to review the idea of incorporating Brain Education in vocational training programs for teachers and curriculum for students.
Pilot Project for Brain Education Launched in February 2018
In February 2018, the New Mexico Departments of Higher Education and Public Education chose three schools to run Brain Education as a pilot project– Pojoaque Intermediate School, Pojoaque Sixth Grade Academy, Ramirez Thomas Elementary School—and requested the Body and Brain Center in the state to send instructors. In response, the Center organized the “Brain Education Project” team composed of professional Brain Education trainers.
The members of this team visited the three schools, where they taught lessons to teachers and students during the spring semester from February to May 2018. These lessons were modeled on the Brain Power 10 curriculum which had reaped successful results when taught to public schools in New York by Brain Power Wellness, a US-based teacher training institution. In a survey run after this project, students expressed satisfaction that they had gained confidence in their academic abilities.
“Besides the workshop for teachers, the project team came to our classes every week for students as well. As the April survey result shows, these Brain Education programs were effective for students, Our teachers said Brain Education helped them run their classes better and improved the students’ social behaviors, emotional health, and confidence. They all agree that this pilot project, though lasting only seven weeks and a half, did help students improve their reading and writing skills.”
Loretta Booker, Principal of Ramirez Thomas Elementary School, Santa Fe City
“I am confident that Brain Education if it is conducted for a continued span of time, will certainly bring about positive changes in both teachers and students across all sectors related to social and emotional wellbeing. We expect to come back to this project to support our students’ social and emotional well-being and academic skills improvement.”
Stacey Mascarenas, Principal of Pojoaque Valley Intermediate School
Budget Proposal for Public School Teachers’ Training, April 2019
In April 2019, a budget proposal to provide Brain Education as part of vocational training for public school teachers was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate in New Mexico, and approved by State Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The bill was initiated to fund selected schools with vocational training for teachers, workshops for parents, and on-site lessons by external instructors for a period of one year starting in 2019. Accordingly, three schools were selected and funded with these activities during the fall semester of 2019; Bel Air Elementary APS, Sweeney Elementary SFPS, and Pojoaque Intermediate PVS.
New Mexico Declared Feb 8, 2023 Earth Citizens Day
In a declaration on February 8, 2023, the New Mexico State Senate proclaimed that day Earth Citizen Day after a successful vote for the “Earth Citizens Day” Memorial Act.
The Senate said “This declaration demonstrates New Mexico’s leadership and commitment to sustainability and peace, and furthermore reminds and educates people of the necessity to take care of the planet as a shared home together with open hearts beyond the borders of nations and ideology.
The Memorial Act recognized that:
- Everyone living on Earth is an Earth Citizen
- Being an Earth Citizen means promoting mindful living, natural health, and world sustainability
- The Earth is facing many new challenges at once
- Change cannot happen without a change in consciousness
- A change in consciousness starts with accepting Earth Citizenship as an identity and common ground between people
- Ilchi lee founded the Earth Citizen Movement to connection one hundred million people in the spirit of Earth Citizenship
- These Earth Citizens would form the foundation of a peaceful and sustainable future by leading “mindful, harmonious, and holistically sustainable lives”
Because of this recognition, the state senate solved to demonstrate its commitment and leadership to sustainability and peace through the declaration of Earth Citizens Day. It hopes the declaration will remind everyone of the need to care for the planet and to embrace everyone with open hearts, regardless of their background or ideology.
The Senate delivered a copy of the declaration to Ilchi Lee, the founder and president of the Earth Citizens Organization (ECO). He expressed his gratitude for it, especially to Senator Rodriguez. He also sent his love, gratitude, and congratulations to all the members of the Earth Citizen Movement who had worked for a long time to bring it about.
Ilchi Lee has long talked about and promoted the idea and necessity for adopting an Earth Citizen mindset. He believes this declaration of Earth Citizens Day means that the time has come for everyone to agree that the final path humanity must now choose is coexistence and that it has become a great starting point and ignition point.