Dr Anthony Seldon

As a headmaster and parent, Anthony Seldon explores the topic of helping young people to learn life skills and attitudes that are conducive to living a flourishing life and contributing the happiness of others. Happiness and well-being has a place in the national curriculum. Our current education system focuses too heavily on academic learning and attainment and not enough on education for life. And too often it fails to adequately support the many children who are struggling to cope with anxiety, stress and depression. We need to encourage our young people to develop the character traits that underpin a happy and meaningful life - including empathy, generosity, resilience and compassion. In doing so, they will also discover that bringing happiness to others leads to a much deeper sense of fulfilment than any A grade or iPhone ever could. The Day of Happiness campaign brings together people around the world from all walks of lives who celebrate the ability of those that bring happiness to their lives. Let's support our children to become those #happyheroes - the values that our children learn today don't just shape their future lives, they determine the destiny of our society.