The Origins of iWe

Kathryn Jefferies, Founder, with her students in Copan Ruinas, Honduras, 1999

The idea for iWe had its roots as far back as the late 1990s when Kathryn Jefferies came across the work of J. Krishnamurti and came to understand the massive hole at the centre of our education systems.

She could see the evidence of his claim that we had educated human beings to have a well-developed intellect but we had neglected intelligence completely. We usually think of intellect and intelligence as synonymous but they are in fact two, distinct capabilities of the human mind. So, we could say that we left out education for wisdom.

Kathryn foresaw that there would be a need - and desire - to bring social-emotional intelligence to teachers and students, thereby evolving education to truly meet the needs of the modern human serving a modern world.

In the ensuing years, when "mental health" became a much talked about phenomenon in society and in schools -- to the point where it is widely accepted that there is a "mental health crisis" in young people -- Kathryn was prepared for this, having devoted her PhD dissertation to the work of understanding consciousness transformation and the mind, and, what we kind of education we need in order to truly thrive as human beings.

One tool Kathryn found to be of significant effectiveness was a method of self-inquiry developed by Byron Katie. She quickly recognized this profound yet extremely practical, easy-to-use tool as the perfect way to teach emotional intelligence in faculties of education at universities, and in schools.

Introducing 15-year-old daughter Bella to self-inquiry (The Work/IBSR) at Byron Katie's intensive in Chicago, 2018

In 2017, she offered some of the first post-secondary courses on promoting mental health and wellness in schools. She successfully added wellness courses for Bachelor of Education students to the permanent curriculum of the university. Those students who took her courses had a foundation to support their own and their future students' mental health in the classroom.

During the pandemic, as the need for understanding and supporting mental health grew exponentially, Kathryn wondered how she could get self-inquiry into the hands of as many students and teachers and teachers-to-be as possible. iWe was born.

Some highlights of Kathryn's work in education:

Innovating an experiential learning curriculum, and teaching Honduran nationals at a locally run primary and elementary school in Copan Ruinas, Honduras

Teaching Guyanese nationals and international elementary students in Georgetown, Guyana

Teaching English Literature at one of the top academic secondary schools in Ottawa, Ontario

Designing and teaching seven different education courses over nine years for Lakehead University Bachelor of Education students, culminating in establishing mental health and emotional intelligence courses as part of the university curriculum

Highlights of Kathryn's work in education:

Innovating an experiential learning curriculum, and teaching Honduran nationals at a locally run primary and elementary school in Copan Ruinas, Honduras

Teaching Guyanese nationals and international elementary students in Georgetown, Guyana

Teaching English Literature at one of the top academic secondary schools in Ottawa, Ontario

Designing and teaching seven different education courses over nine years for Lakehead University Bachelor of Education students, culminating in establishing mental health and emotional intelligence courses as part of the university curriculum

Kathryn's Formal Qualifications

Certified Facilitator of IBSR, The Work of Byron Katie

Ph.D. (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto)

M.Ed. (OISE/UT)

B.Ed. (Concurrent Education, Queen’s University)

B.A. (Queen’s University)

Kathryn is the author of the 2016 book Awake: Education for Enlightenment, of which Larry Dossey, MD (author of several books including One Mind) said, "There is enough wisdom in Dr. Kathryn Jefferies' book to change our world ... beautifully, powerfully done."

"We need to equip students with the ability to cope well in the face of inevitable adversity.

Academic knowledge alone does not enable students to manage the difficult and challenging events of their lives. Nor does it allow them to surmount the stress of global events like the changing climate and large-scale conflict.

We want to support youth to discover that they can find inner stability even in the face of outer turmoil. From here, they can find meaning and purpose to move forward, and even be inspired to learn and innovate.

There’s a whole other body of work that we call 'emotional intelligence' that is the curriculum that is needed for this kind of education.

Knowledge alone will also not allow people the discernment necessary to identify and evaluate destructive ideologies like those we’ve seen throughout history, including now. Wisdom is needed for this and it can be educated for."

~Kathryn Jefferies, PhD, Founder of iWe