The Inner Resilience Program (IRP), a project of Tides Center, was founded in February 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001 and their effects on educators and students. However, it soon became evident, that learning to balance work and life stressors was not exclusive to educators in the schools in Lower Manhattan, but was a pervasive issue that affected teachers nationally. As a result, the program moved from a focus on trauma recovery into the broader category of teacher, parent, and student wellness, including a focus on nurturing the inner lives of educators and students. The mission of the Inner Resilience Program of today is to cultivate the inner lives of students, teachers and schools by integrating social and emotional learning with what we have learned from the field of contemplative teaching and learning.
