Creating an Emotional Laboratory: 16 Guidelines for Adults, Children and Teenagers in Italy
The 16 Guidelines are helping young people in education in Verona, Italy, thanks to the dedication of Maria Luisa Costantino, a trained education and clinical pedagogist. Working alongside a team of educators, she has introduced the 16 Guidelines framework to primary schools, high schools, and even university students in Verona. Through innovative projects like the Emotional Laboratory, children and teenagers are learning practical tools for emotional and mental wellbeing. With growing recognition from schools and institutions, including the Italian Buddhist Union, the impact of this work is expanding—proving that the 16 Guidelines offer an adaptable and effective approach to nurturing positive change in young people’s lives.
“Everyone enjoyed the courses so much at the time, but more importantly they are still using today what they learned last year.”
—Maria Luisa Costantino, 16 Guidelines facilitator
Here Maria shares her experience of introducing the 16 Guidelines techniques to primary school children, teenagers and university students:
“I work in the Il Ponte social cooperative of 60 educators, pedagogists and psychologists in Verona, Italy. Almost all of us have completed Level 1 of the 16 Guidelines program created by the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom.
Some years ago, we began translating the 16 Guidelines book into Italian. We bring the principles of the 16 Guidelines into our daily work. We work with children, teenagers and adults with social problems.
We provide activities inspired by the 16 Guidelines in our educational services. We have found that people like this approach very much because it improves their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Over 10 years ago, we started a project called the Emotional Laboratory in a primary school. We used mindfulness and some 16 Guidelines tools like re-framing and asked; What is my Essence? Now we offer this course to children in four different schools in Verona.
In 2020, we received funding from the Italian Buddhist Union for supporting children in high school. We work with children but also parents too. We start with the Four Wisdom Themes: How We Think, How We Act, How We Relate and How We Find Meaning. We ask the teenagers to examine; What are my Attitudes? What do I want to do in my life?
In 2022, I introduced the 16 Guidelines to fourth grade girls in two different high schools. I also ran a separate 6-hour training for teachers to introduce them to the 16 Guidelines.
Everyone enjoyed the courses so much at the time, but more importantly, they are still using today what they learned last year. In March 2023, the director of one of the schools called me to say that the school is now using the 16 Guidelines as well as the 16 Guidelines book for short disciplinary measures for those teenagers with bad behaviour.
In fact, when the teenagers do something wrong, instead of suspending them from school and leaving them at home, they must stay in the director’s office all day long, reading, reflecting and writing something about a specific Guideline and a wisdom theme related to what they did. That very day, the director described a teenage boy who had been working on the 9th Guideline: “Respect”. I feel delighted that the director of the high school has been able to apply the Guidelines to encourage children to have better behaviour towards other children in the school.
In 2022, I offered a 10-hour course at the University of Verona inspired by the 16 Guidelines. So many people enrolled for this course that they decided to split them into two groups!
The students liked the course a lot and the University has requested even more workshops this year. I will run two courses at the end of March and probably another two during Autumn.
What I find really inspiring is that so many University students voluntarily choose to participate in these workshops. They are very interested and they recommend it to their fellow students. This shows me the power of the 16 Guidelines to motivate, transform and inspire others.
I love seeing how the framework provided by the Guidelines program can be easily adapted in different ways to reach young people so effectively.
In 2023, the Italian Buddhist Union wanted to spread Buddhist thought in the secular world, especially for young people and adolescents. I applied for funding for a one-week school camp inspired by the 16 Guidelines and some other courses for children in high school.”
About Maria Luisa Constantino
Based in Italy, Maria Luisa Costantino started working as an education and clinical pedagogist. She became interested in Buddhism and the Dalai Lama’s Mind & Life Institute, bringing together scientific with contemplative practice and wisdom traditions. Maria Luisa is an accredited facilitator of 16 Guidelines Levels 1 and 2. She delivers workshops in Italian. We thank Maria Luisa for sharing the success of using the 16 Guidelines with children, teenagers, and adults in Italy, showing how these practical tools can make a lasting difference in education and daily life. With many thanks to 16G facilitator Sabrina de Chirico for translating Maria Luisa’s story.
If you would like to receive materials for sharing the 16 Guidelines, created by Maria Luisa in Italian please contact us. You can also watch Maria Luisa’s presentation during the Growing Compassionate Hearts Conference here.
Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW)
At FDCW we are committed to a more compassionate, wiser world. We provide resources, courses and training to develop qualities such as kindness, patience and honesty – qualities that are essential for meeting the challenges of the world we all share.
The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) was established as a global charity based in London in 2005. Since then we have provided secular training, programmes and resources across many sectors of society – schools, universities, hospices, workplaces, healthcare, youth groups and community centres. Our courses have reached thousands of people across the world through our dedicated and growing network of facilitators in more than 20 countries.
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