Prepare Your Students for the Rain Of Life
Help them build the social and emotional umbrella they need
with The Umbrella Project.
Through our research-based curriculums, workshops, and events we join with schools and educators to support the development of positive coping skills and sustainable well-being in students’ lives.
Curious about what makes the Umbrella Project unique?
We’d love to show you!
Get started by checking out your own umbrella of coping skills with our FREE Umbrella Skills Assessment.
Whether you’re a teacher or administrator, this is a great place to begin getting to know the Umbrella Project!
This quick series of simple questions will give you a clear picture of which of the 18 Umbrella Skills you excel at, which ones could use improvement, and how you can start working on your umbrella. Once you’ve assessed yourself, you’ll have a good idea of the types of skills The Umbrella Project can help your students learn, too.
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We take an inquiry-based and curiosity-fueled approach to mental health that brings out students’ strongest skills and helps them confidently grow their ‘weaker’ ones.
As students learn about and build their umbrellas, they are better able to work through their challenges, gain meaningful insights, and thrive. It is our mission to build strong communities by building strong kids.
When positive coping skills increase, stress decreases.
When stress decreases, academic and social success soars.
Our curriculums are compatible with virtual and in-person school structures and provide interactive projects that teach students positive coping skills for emotional well-being.
Through classroom lessons and personal observation, students learn real-life applications of each Umbrella Skill and gain deeper insight into why these skills are essential to living well.
Our program is most successful when run as a school-wide initiative.
Ways Your School Or Organization Can Partner With The Umbrella Project
Our K-12 Umbrella Project Curriculum
Professional Development & Implementation Support
Student Workshops & Assemblies
Parent Sessions & Workshops
Digital Conferences
Bring The Umbrella Project To Your School Or District
The Umbrella Project has partnered with Trent University
to research and study our program’s impact in schools across Ontario.
Under the supervision of Dr. Jim Parker, The Umbrella Project has been proven to have a statistically significant impact on improving student emotional intelligence, adaptability, interpersonal skills, and stress management.
The impact of The Umbrella Project was found universally across all boards, schools, grades, and genders studied.
Review our most recent research paper here.
The 18 Umbrella Skills you’ll find inside our book, course and lessons: Empathy Gratitude Growth Mindset Mindfulness Kindess Intrinsic Motivation Authenticity Grit Self-Efficacy Resilience Purpose Autonomy Cognitive Flexibility Self-Compassion Realistic Optimism Integrity Healthy Lifestyle Mastery
Hi, I’m Dr. Jen!
Through parenting my three kiddos and studying pediatric mental health as a Naturopathic Doctor, I discovered a core set of principles and skills that have been proven to increase well-being, adaptability, and emotional intelligence in kids.
The results of my work have been published in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology and I have earned a Health Promotion Canada Award in recognition of my contribution to mental health promotion in youth.
AND…
I’m still a human who has tough parenting days, gets grouchy sometimes, and has to work on my own Umbrella consistently!
The beauty of parenting and life is that nothing is ever truly ‘perfect.’
We get to enjoy each day and prepare ourselves for the mysterious weather of the next.
As the Founder and CEO of The Umbrella Project, I have developed positive coping skills training for parents and educators in the form of courses, curriculums, individual sessions, workshops, and an easy-to-reference book that are used internationally by thousands of parents.
I don’t believe for a minute that I’ve invented these skills or uncovered some mysterious, never-before-known wisdom…I believe that these skills are simply inherent to a healthy, thriving lifestyle. I also believe we can learn them anytime, at any age and that they’re just as important for parents to learn as they are for our kids!
– Dr. Jen Forristal, BSc ND