12/08/2025
Dear Friends,
I have VERY, VERY GOOD NEWS to share with you. It is hope giving news.
Two weeks ago the first Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing was announced. A long time dream of Thay (and myself) comes true. The school will open in the fall of 2026, at the foot of Deer Park Monastery, in Escondido, California.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6267UuYGxwg&t=5s
I am sure Thay’s dream started way before mine. It was actually Thay himself who planted the seed of bringing mindfulness to schools in my heart. This happened when I read his book ‘You are here’ in 2011, the very first book I read of Thay. From the first pages on I was struck by the depth and the simplicity of the teachings on mindfulness. I could only think: ‘The whole world should know about this’, and consequently: ‘This wisdom and practice should be shared with children at schools’.
Thay started the Wake Up Schools program in 2008. The basic idea was to share mindfulness with teachers (of all levels), so that the school teachers would become mindful, compassionate and happy teachers, with enough space to deal with all the challenges they, their school children and their students face in the classroom. Now a new big chapter will begin: the start of a mindful school, in which not only the teacher will be mindful, but the whole curriculum will be designed based on the wisdom of interbeing: https://tnhschool.org/
It was no accident that the first two film projects I created for the community, were about mindfulness and education. Both films were recorded during special retreats for educators, led by Thich Nhat Hanh. The first one was filmed in Toronto in 2013, the second one in Barcelona in 2014. You can watch the two films via the links below. The Barcelona film is also available with English subtitles.
1. Happy Teachers will change the World (Toronto)
YouTube (free): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGrtF7hnkKw&t=1s
Vimeo (free, and in an advertisement free environment): https://vimeo.com/354660173
2. Los Educadores Felices cambiarián el Mundo (Barcelona, also available in English)
Vimeo (rent, in an advertisement free environment): https://vimeo.com/ondemand/happyteachersbarcelona
For me it is truly a great joy to know that a new generation of children will be educated in a revolutionary way, in a safe and nourishing place where they will learn how to truly love themselves, their friends, and the Earth – all based on the wisdom of interbeing.
I am sure lots of love, peace and harmony will sprout from Thay’s new school. Children who truly love, are the basis of a peaceful and happy world.
With gratitude,
Wouter Verhoeven
www.evermind.media
P.S. The video about the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing was edited by Chihiro Wimbush, with video images of children’s program activities shot at Deer Park Monastery, and archive photos.
You can find all information about this new Deer Park Monastery project, at https://tnhschool.org/:"The Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing is dedicated to ...
