Description of impact
The benefits of volunteering and service learning have been well established in research (Casiday et al., 2008; Celio, Durlak, & Dymnicki, 2011). This includes decreased mortality and increased life satisfaction in volunteers, and more positive attitudes towards self and school and the promotion of social skills, civic engagement and academic outcomes in students. Given that Australian youth experience significant health and wellbeing challenges, including high prevalence of unhealthy weight (under and over), psychological disorders and psychological distress (Muir et al., 2009), investigating how giving practices may be integrated more sustainably into school curriculum as a key protective and promoting factor for wellbeing has become an educational and public health imperative.The ‘Curriculum of Giving’ (Nielsen & Ma, 2016, 2018) is a philosophical and theoretical framework that recognises giving as being central to community contribution (the focus of volunteering and service learning) and individual self-actualisation and flourishing (the focus of positive psychology). Giving to self and giving to the larger whole are viewed as existing on a continuum of the meaningful life, where each end can support and enable the other. Though an explicit evidence-based pedagogy of giving and wellbeing strategies are provided, the ‘Curriculum of Giving’ is distinct from other wellbeing education initiatives currently implemented in schools because it is not a set program. Rather, the focus is on understanding the underlying principles supported by research that help to link giving behaviours to meaningful living for individual and collective health and wellbeing across many contexts.
Schools and organisations have regularly sought out my consultancy for promoting wellbeing in their students and staff (e.g. 78 professional development sessions and 90 invited talks since 2009 as recorded on PURE). In these sessions, my original research on wellbeing strategies and principles (i.e. ‘The Curriculum of Giving’, also see http://www.thomaswnielsen.net) is disseminated across Australian schools. From this industry engagement alone, my original research and the University have become nationally recognised by school leaders. Ongoing partnerships have been developed with schools wanting to implement ‘The Curriculum of Giving’ at a school-wide level, enabling rich opportunities for action research with in-kind support (e.g. Lake Ginninderra College (output: 2 peer-reviewed publications to date; Nielsen & Ma 2016, 2018; Radford College (in development), The South Australia Department of Education, etc.). In addition to providing a direct service to the teaching and school community, the consultancy I provide also promotes my specific research focus and enables opportunities for action research that builds upon my existing body of work. This promotes the University’s reputation on two levels: at the industry level (having direct impact on ‘the ground’ and with the school community, forging research partnerships) and at the University level (academic publications arising from research in partner schools).
Impact status | Open |
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Documents & Links
Related content
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Press/Media
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Mindfulness Meditation in Schools
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Ambition and happiness
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Mindfulness and wellbeing
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Volunteering And Its Health Benefits
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Giving and the meaningful life
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Meditation in Schools
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Impact of Meditation In Schools
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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The health benefits of giving to others
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Activities
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Improving Staff and Student Wellbeing and Creating a Curriculum of Giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Positive psychology and giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Happiness, wellbeing, and the meaning of life
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Improving Staff and Student Wellbeing and Creating a Curriculum of Giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Proven strategies for improving resilience, wellbeing and happiness
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Work-life balance: foundations and strategies for achieving quality of life and wellbeing
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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The Giving Curriculum
Activity: Consultancy
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Improving Wellbeing through Giving
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Curriculum of giving for staff and students
Activity: Consultancy
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Meeting with ACT Education Minister Shane Rattenbury MLA
Activity: Expert Advice and Other › Other
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Values education and positive psychology
Activity: Consultancy
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Positive psychology and the giving curriculum
Activity: Consultancy
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Improving Staff and Student Wellbeing and Creating a Curriculum of Giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Series (3) of Faculty Forums to improve staff wellbeing
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Invited Keynote Address
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Invited Keynote Address
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Positive psychology and leadership for personal and staff wellbeing
Activity: Consultancy
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Positive psychology and examples of giving in Australian juvenile detention centres
Activity: Consultancy
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The Giving Curriculum – the Missing Link in an Education for a Sustainable Future
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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In search of meaningful wellbeing in Efterskoler
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Turning lives around: how a curriculum of giving can improve student wellbeing and achievement in juvenile detention
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Caring for self and others: How to improve personal and staff wellbeing through positive psychology and leadership
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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The Art and Science of Giving – a transformational and evidence-based approach
Activity: Consultancy
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Improving student and staff wellbeing through a curriculum of giving
Activity: Consultancy
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A ‘curriculum of giving’—the missing link in student and staff wellbeing
Activity: Consultancy
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Towards a curriculum of giving for student and staff wellbeing
Activity: Consultancy
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Invited Keynote Address
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Happiness, wellbeing, and the meaning of life
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Wellbeing and Curriculum of Giving
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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The Giving Curriculum – the missing link in an education for a sustainable future
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Invited Keynote Address
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Values education and giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Advisory meeting with the City of Adelaide and the Wellbeing and Resilience Centre (part of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute)
Activity: Expert Advice and Other › Other
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How to find happiness and wellbeing
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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What makes for a successful life?
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Happiness, wellbeing and resilience in college students and staff
Activity: Consultancy
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Implementing the Giving Curriculum in the SA school curriculum
Activity: Expert Advice and Other › Other
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Improving student and staff wellbeing through a curriculum of giving
Activity: Consultancy
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A ‘curriculum of giving’ – the ‘missing link’ in student wellbeing and achievement
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Academic outcomes as a by-product of a whole person approach to education
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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A curriculum of giving for student wellbeing and social transformation
Activity: Consultancy
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Positive psychology and the giving curriculum
Activity: Consultancy
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Improving student and staff wellbeing through a curriculum of giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Positive psychology in educational contexts
Activity: Consultancy
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A curriculum of giving and outdoor education – a ‘natural’ fit
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Wellbeing strategies for staff
Activity: Consultancy
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Positive psychology in educational contexts
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Positive Education Schools Association (PESA) (External organisation)
Activity: Membership › Membership of board
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Theory and Practice of Wellbeing Education – What the Research is Telling Us
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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A pedagogy of wellbeing for the national curriculum
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Improving Staff and Student Wellbeing and Creating a Curriculum of Giving
Activity: Consultancy
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Giving, education, and the meaning of life
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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The ‘curriculum of giving’ for student and staff wellbeing
Activity: Consultancy
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The Giving Curriculum
Activity: Consultancy
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Research output
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Toward a Curriculum of Giving
Research output: Contribution to conference (non-published works) › Abstract
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Out from the cave: have we lost the purpose of education?
Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Values Education, Quality Teaching and Service Learning: A Troika for Effective Teaching and Teacher Education
Research output: Book/Report › Book
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The Exciting New Research Confirming the Most Ancient of Messages: Giving to Others Makes for Meaningful Living and Improved Wellbeing
Research output: Contribution to conference (non-published works) › Abstract
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Investigating meaningful happiness and wellbeing in college students through a 'curriculum of giving'
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Choose a life with meaning
Research output: Book/Report › Other
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Happy? Consider how giving builds a life of meaning
Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Promoting Youth Engagement and Wellbeing through Student Volunteer Programs in ACT Schools
Research output: Book/Report › Reports
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A curriculum of giving for student wellbeing and achievement : 'how to wear leather sandals on a rough surface'
Research output: A Conference proceeding or a Chapter in Book › Chapter
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Showing the way: A Curriculum of Giving for Student Wellbeing and Social Cohesion
Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Book/Film/Article review
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Do Values Have a Place in Education?
Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Teaching care and wellbeing
Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Giving makes us happy
Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Bulletin › Article
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Connecting Social and Natural Ecologies Through a Curriculum of Giving for Student Wellbeing and Engagement
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Finding the Keys to Meaningful Happiness: Beyond Being Happy or Sad is to Love
Research output: A Conference proceeding or a Chapter in Book › Chapter › peer-review
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Towards pedagogy of giving for wellbeing and social engagement
Research output: A Conference proceeding or a Chapter in Book › Chapter › peer-review
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Prizes
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Joint award funding of 20K from The Snow Foundation
Prize: Other distinction
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Joint award funding of 25K from the National Australia Bank Schools First grant
Prize: Other distinction
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Joint award funding of 25K from the Southern ACT Catchment Group grant
Prize: Other distinction