The mission of the MAPP Magazine is first to keep University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program (MAPP) alumni connected, and second to share the wide range of our applications of positive psychology with a broader audience to inspire collaboration and growth in the field.
The latest issue of MAPP Magazine focuses on educational applications: applying Hope Theory with students on an immersive Holocaust education trip to Poland; making Positive Psychology accessible to high school students; and building resilience strengths in COVID-weary summer campers.
You can find back issues of the MAPP Magazine online: articles for 2020 through the present and articles for 2019 and before. To have the latest articles sent to you by email, subscribe to the MAPP Magazine.
The Saga of the Scrolls: A Story of Hope
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Lynn (MAPP ’12) shares a powerful, inspiring story of tracking down two lost Torah scrolls he learned about while leading a Holocaust education trip in Poland. Referring to a photo showing a recovered scroll reunited with a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor in Israel, Yosef observed that “No words can describe the power of that moment of the revival and reuniting of worlds.” Citing the principles of Hope Theory, Yosef evokes the power of hope to overcome even the most horrific adversities, to bridge differences, and to achieve goals.
You can find the full story here.
Child Reading
Positive Psychology in Schools – Making Positive Psychology Accessible to All Secondary School Students
In the process of completing his MAPP Degree, Dr. Felix Yerace (MAPP ’20) set about designing a positive psychology course to augment his work in positive education and to help his high school students develop as leaders, and people. “While I wanted a class that all students could be successful in, I also did not want to compromise its rigor,” Felix noted. As his class enters its third year, it has grown in popularity and has made a difference for his students. Felix’s own leadership in the positive education space has enabled him to expand the network of educators who teach positive psychology, in pursuit of Martin Seligman’s vision to offer all students, at every level, instruction in the skills of well-being.
You can find the full story here.
Strengths Development in Action
Celebration
How could the application of positive psychology help COVID-weary students in Shanghai and Beijing whose emotional and social well-being had been battered by mandatory lockdowns, frequent health testing, and distance learning? Karen Zong (MAPP ’07) relates how her Integrated Development Group focused on teaching strengths development, resilience, and back-to-school readiness to students in grades 1-9 through a series of age-appropriate summer camps. While students cannot be shielded from adversity and challenges in life, Karen observes, “knowing that they have a solid foundation of optimism, persistence, social skills, and self-awareness is surely a blessing and relief for the caring adults” who are sending them off to the next step of their educational journey.
You can find the full story here.
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Image credits
Scroll Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash
Child Reading Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Celebration Photo by Jaime Lopes on Unsplash