Introducing PULSE

A year back we would have smirked had anyone suggested an insipid microorganism could bring the world to a grinding halt. We were hurtling down the path of progress and our perceived achievements gave us a false sense of invincibility. While it continues to be distressing, the current experience lends perspective - are we equipped for survival?

As students, absorbed in academic pursuit we forget to develop our emotional and social faculties. My school had long felt a need to inspire students to take social action and challenge themselves at a more meaningful level. The Sufi Rumi said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” PULSE was conceived from this belief.

The Personal and Universal Life Skills Education (PULSE) programme adopts a two-pronged approach: the self and the community. We guide students to build capacities in areas that fire their passion and take them on a journey of self-discovery through three modules:

1. Motivates students to raise their voice for social change and introspect on how own actions make a difference. It covers a repertoire of topics rooted in the SDGs like non-discrimination, equal opportunity, quality education and access to clean water.

2. Focuses on mental well-being, enabling students identify stressors that fray relationships, recognise the consequence of bullying and offers space for honest and secure conversation on mental health issues to minimise the stigma attached.

3. Emphasises physical well-being through pilates, yoga and mindfulness meditation.

Despite virtual sessions due to COVID restrictions, the response was overwhelming with 100% student participation (Years 7 to 11). Feedback indicated over 80% participants found the intervention greatly beneficial. It was deeply rewarding to have the school officially adopt PULSE.

As co-founder, the journey was a challenging, exhilarating and humbling experience. To live we must grow, to grow we must learn and to learn we must be receptive to change. The process transformed me into “the change I wished to be”.