The Mattering Movement Program®
Bring The Mattering Movement Program® to Your School or Community
The Mattering Movement Program® helps schools, campuses, and communities create spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered to contribute. Based on over 40 years of research, the program turns the science of “mattering” into practical tools and strategies that work in K–12 schools, higher education, and community organizations.
Start with a Speaker Session
The program begins with a dynamic session led by Dr. Sarah Bennison. This experience brings the science of mattering to life for educators, students, and families, creating a shared language and vision that unites the whole community. Optional additional speaker sessions can also be arranged for parents or the wider community to extend the impact.
Ongoing Support and Resources
After the session, schools and organizations gain access to The Mattering Movement Program® tools that make it easy to keep the momentum going:
Mattering Curriculum: Flexible lessons and activities for all grade levels and learning environments
Professional Development Modules: Support for educators and staff to integrate mattering-centered practices
Parent & Community Companion: Resources to extend the impact beyond classrooms and campuses
Together, these resources turn inspiration into action. By bringing The Mattering Movement Program® to your school or community, you join a growing network across the U.S. dedicated to building environments where everyone belongs and thrives.
The Mattering Movement Program®
It all begins begins with a goal. Maybe you are concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of your students. Or maybe the challenge is specific — a school culture that feels disconnected, students struggling to find purpose, a community that hasn't yet learned to see itself as one. That’s exactly where we start to build campuses where people know they matter. Mattering is a skill that can be learned, and we work with you to activate a path forward.
Mattering: A New Approach to Service Learning
The first act of mattering is contribution. In adding value to the world around us, we come to recognize our own worth. Extensive research identifies mattering as a key psychological protective factor — a proven buffer against anxiety, depression, and isolation. Our service learning framework centers this insight, cultivating an other-focused mindset and a practice of meaningful contribution as pathways to both individual wellness and collective impact.
A mattering approach to service learning challenges a common assumption: that impact has to be large to matter. The research tells a different story. Small actions — writing a note, holding the door, simply knowing each other's names — have been shown to produce profound, lasting change in individuals and in communities. Mattering lives in the everyday.
As the founder of Trinity School's (NYC) Office of Public Service and a seasoned educator specializing in service learning and social impact, she brings proven frameworks and hands-on expertise to help your school put mattering into practice.
Activate Mattering at Your School Today!
Customized programs available and can include:
Science of mattering: a pathway to mental health.
Why Purpose Belongs at the Center of Education
From Engagement to Impact: Re-imagining Service Learning
Human-Centered Pedagogy in an Age of A.I.
Fostering Teacher Mattering and Resilience.
Creating Mattering Classrooms: Pedagogical Practices