Looking Back: A Summary of 2025

The Birth of Laurus Regenerative

June 2025 marked the official constitution of Laurus Regenerative SRL. After many months of incubation, training, and research, we were finally able to establish Laurus as a social enterprise. The project was born from our collective experience and research, with the intention of helping regenerate our communities.

Over these first six months, the project naturally evolved, placing wellbeing firmly at its heart. Nature continuously invites us to remain flexible, collaborative, and open to evolution—and this is the direction in which we continue to grow. Regeneration is a constant reconnection with purpose, and our purpose is to co-create a wiser and more compassionate future for all.

Welcoming Welsh Educators to Málaga

Our first major step in June was leading a training programme for Welsh school teachers here in Málaga. By December, we had welcomed three groups in total.

The three visits to Málaga were an exceptional professional learning experience for approximately 60 teachers and school leaders from Wales. This took place through a training programme delivered by Accipe and funded by Taith, in collaboration with ILG and Cardiff City Council. Under our guidance, participants explored the latest mindfulness and wellbeing methodologies, both in theory and in practice, engaging in a dynamic and truly transformative professional development experience.

The June visit focused on the importance ofcreating time and space for wellbeing to become a central pillar of school communities. We visited the University of Málaga (UMA) and Colegio de la Asunción, allowing our Welsh colleagues to experience how mindfulness and social-emotional learning are being integrated in Spain.

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Ireland, Loss, and Regenerative Cycles

In July, we travelled to University College Cork to deliver an Erasmus+ project-based course on mindfulness and SEL, with a strong focus on art, nature, regeneration, and culture. At the same time, we accompanied 48 teachers and administrative staff from the University of Málaga under the direction of the FGUMA.

Sadly, I had to cut my visit short due to the illness and subsequent passing of my father in August. Losing a loved one is never easy. During this time, I drew deeply on mindfulness and compassion for support. Nature works in regenerative cycles, and this experience reminded me of the essential role we play in sustaining and regenerating living systems. Death, though painful, can serve as a profound reminder of where we come from—and where we are heading.

Autumn Highlights: Community, Culture, and Connection

In September, we participated in World Wellness Weekend and officially launched Laurus Regenerative at Impact Hub Málaga. We offered a practical workshop on mindfulness, emotions, and art journaling, which proved to be deeply emotive, motivational, and valuable for participants.

October saw the launch of our online classes, designed to support and connect international educators in mindfulness and SEL. These will continue to develop throughout 2026.

We also gathered to meditate on the beach and celebrate the Celtic festival of Samhain, honouring our ancestors and planting seeds for the future.

That same month, we travelled to Mersin, Turkey, invited by the regional education authority as experts on an Erasmus+ wellbeing training course for teachers. This was a personal highlight of the year—our first international educational visit as invited experts. The warmth of the welcome and the beautiful integration of learning, culture, and gastronomy made the experience unforgettable.

Gran Canaria: Language, Mindfulness, and the Dunes

In November, invited by our partners Eurobjective (Ireland), we delivered Erasmus Days training on mindfulness and SEL at the Official Language School of Maspalomas, Gran Canaria.

Maspalomas, nestled beside its shifting sand dunes, offered a powerful metaphor for language teaching: teachers, like the wind, help shape learning and foster communication—each of us a single grain of sand within the dunes of time.

The atmosphere at EOI Maspalomas was truly inspiring. During the workshop, we cultivated presence through breath awareness, active listening, and reflective practices, all grounded in empathy, nature, and compassion.

I felt deeply grateful to contribute to helping teachers integrate mindfulness and emotional awareness into language education, enriching learning, wellbeing, creativity, and critical thinking.

Leadership, Schools, and Regeneration

Later in November, we welcomed our second group from Wales, this time composed of school leadership teams, for training in regenerative leadership and wellbeing. This was our first experience working exclusively with school leaders and demonstrated the profound ripple effect that leadership wellbeing can have on entire school communities.

Visits to Colegio de la Asunción and the Lycée Français added further dimensions of learning, showcasing student-led mindfulness practices, innovative learning spaces, and strong cultures of empathy and collaboration.

The programme also featured inspiring contributions from invited experts, including Rosa Arcos de Torres (CEP Marbella) and Gemma Muñoz (CEIP Daidín), who shared practical insights into embedding wellbeing within real educational contexts.

December: Consolidation and Growth

In December, we hosted our third wellbeing and mindfulness course for Welsh teachers at La Casa Diocesana. Alongside this, we organised a conference on wellbeing and school regeneration at the Faculty of Education, University of Málaga, with contributions from leading educational voices from Spain including Maria del Mar Gallego, director of CEP Málaga and hosted by Amparo Civila vicedecana de Educación y RI de la UMA and Kate Martin curriculum coordinator from Cardiff Council Wales.

We also visited San José de Calasanz primary school in the heart of Malaga where Carmen Ortiz and her team have regenerated the school and created a real sense of community. An authentic and emotive example of how peopel and purpose can transform our schools.

We also welcomed our first student intern, Marta, from FGUMA. This collaboration was mutually enriching, and in January we will welcome our second intern—a graphic design student from Poland—continuing to strengthen European collaboration.

Gratitude

We are deeply thankful to the nearly 150 people who co-created and regenerated with Laurus throughout 2025. Here are just a few reflections shared by participants:

“I feel as if I have pressed the pause and reset button.”
“Mindfulness has transformed my classroom practice.”
“I now feel confident leading mindfulness sessions.”
“Understanding that my wellbeing matters as much as my learners’ was powerful.”

Looking Ahead: Our Plans for 2026

January–Spring: Learning, Publications, and Foundations

From mid January, we will launch our revamped online training programmes in English and Spanish, offering approximately 30 hours of certified training. These courses are designed to support educators and professionals in making meaningful, real-world changes in both their personal and professional lives, with a strong focus on mindfulness, social-emotional learning, wellbeing, and regenerative education.

Throughout January and February and into spring, we will begin publishing a series of eBooks and short practical guides on:

• Regenerative education
• Mindfulness and wellbeing
• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

A cornerstone of this work will be the launch of our core publication on Regenerative Education, in which we explore our research and practice in depth. This book will provide clear frameworks, ready-to-use activities, and concise implementation guides to support schools and educational communities in embedding regenerative, wellbeing-centred change.

Alongside this, we will publish our Regenerative guide for the Imperfect Pilgrim, a mindful companion for those walking the Camino de Santiago. This guide will offer reflective practices, nature-based mindfulness, and regenerative perspectives designed to enrich and transform the pilgrim experience, reconnecting walking, landscape, and inner awareness.

We will also release a series of guides on holistic health and wellbeing, developed in collaboration with Naturaclass, drawing on our long-standing trajectory in nature-based healing, preventive health, and embodied wellbeing.

Community, Practice, and Ongoing Connection

In 2026, we will begin offering weekly and monthly wellbeing sessions for educators, creating regular opportunities to integrate learning through shared practice. These gatherings will take place in a variety of cultural, creative, and nature-based settings, supporting educators in sustaining their wellbeing while fostering meaningful professional connection.

International Collaboration and Erasmus+ Projects

From 13–15 February, we have been invited to participate in EdYOUfest in Derry, where we will deliver a workshop for international educators on the creative heart of teaching. This event marks the beginning of what we hope will become a fruitful long-term collaboration, extending beyond Erasmus+ and supporting educators at a global level.

We have also been invited to contribute as experts to a KA2 Erasmus+ project in Tarragona, where we will deliver a three-day training programme on Social and Emotional Learning for teachers from Spain, Turkey, Italy, and Bulgaria.

In March, we plan to submit our own KA2 Erasmus+ project application, while also participating as partners in two additional projects led by organisations in Ireland and Italy. These initiatives will centre on mindfulness, SEL, wellbeing, and regeneration.

Our lead project, “Voices from the Earth,” will focus on fostering wellbeing among secondary school students through reconnection with nature and artistic creation.

The partner projects will work with marginalised communities, migrants, and refugees, supporting the creation of belonging, purpose, and regenerative community experiences through nature-based approaches and empathic communication.

Mobility, Retreats, and Cultural Immersion

In July, in collaboration with FGUMA, we will accompany a group of teaching and administrative staff (PDI and PAS) from the University of Málaga to University College Cork for language and cultural immersion programmes.

While in Cork, we will also deliver our CLIL and mindfulness-based wellbeing courses, open to international Erasmus+ KA1 participants, continuing to weave together language, culture, wellbeing, and regenerative education.

Summer Programmes

We hope to walk alongside you again in 2026.

With gratitude,
The Laurus Regenerative Team