LG Program Focuses On Emotional Wellbeing As 2020 School Year Gets Under Way

'Experience Happiness' Initiative Marks 4-Million-Youth Milestone; LG Launches Six-Episode Video Series Developed with Discovery Education

News provided by

LG Electronics USA

Sep 17, 2020, 12:15 ET

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new video series for students, parents and educators focused on social-emotional wellbeing is being launched by LG Electronics USA as the 2020 school year gets under way. The series launch coincides with a key milestone for "Life's Good: Experience Happiness," LG's cornerstone corporate social responsibility program that has delivered emotional wellness skills to 4 million youth across America and is now helping students nationwide cope with impact of COVID-19.

As the nation continues to grapple with the pandemic and schools shift to meet student needs for in-person, hybrid, or remote learning, supporting social and emotional wellbeing has become a major concern for educators and parents across the country. According to Christine Ackerson, LG's U.S. head of corporate social responsibility, helping students manage the stresses of school in any learning environment requires access to resources wherever they are.

The back-to-school video series was developed with Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. The new suite of "Discover Your Happy" videos explores the science behind practicing six sustainable happiness skills to cultivate emotional wellness and resiliency for success in school and beyond.

In the introductory video about brain science and emotional wellness, Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., science director at UC Berkley's Greater Good Science Center, explains: "Practicing the six sustainable happiness skills can shift the way your brain works and create more happiness." Divided into six videos, one for each skill, these flexible tools can be used together as a class or assigned individually to students studying remotely or at school.

Since 2018, LG's Experience Happiness program has helped 4 million students practice six foundational social-emotional skills: mindfulness, human connection, positive outlook, purpose, generosity and gratitude. Progressing toward its goal of reaching 5.5 million American youth with sustainable happiness skills by 2022, the program "supports the development of emotional wellness and resiliency that can lead to increased self-motivation, help students channel emotional intelligence into positive and meaningful interactions, and equip kids with emotional wellness skills for life success," Ackerson said.

An extension of LG's Experience Happiness program called Discover Your Happy is a collaborative effort between Discovery Education and LG Electronics USA. In addition to the new video series, Discover Your Happy provides dynamic digital curriculum and standards-aligned resources teaching happiness skills at no cost to students and educators across the United States. These resources make the practice of happiness accessible for the whole family and bring digital lesson bundles to the classroom, whether at school or at home.

The American Psychological Association found that when school is in session, kids are the most stressed group in the country, and studies show two out of three youth in the U.S. today are stressed. Underscoring the timeliness of the new video series and relevance of the Experience Happiness program, symptoms of anxiety and depression are rising significantly due to the impacts of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"In the midst of the isolating coronavirus pandemic, it is more important than ever to support mental health and emotional wellness," said Ackerson. "As the parent of three teens myself, I recognize that practicing happiness skills can help change your mindset, grow resilience and help manage life's challenges."

To view the video series, please visit: https://www.learnexperiencehappiness.com/educators.

About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $53 billion global innovator in technology and manufacturing. In the United States, LG sells a wide range of innovative home appliances, home entertainment products, mobile phones, commercial displays, air conditioning systems, solar energy solutions and vehicle components. The "Life's Good" marketing theme encompasses how LG is dedicated to people's happiness by exceeding expectations today and tomorrow. LG is a 2020 ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year-Sustained Excellence. www.LG.com.

About Life's Good: Experience Happiness
Aiming to enrich the lives of 5.5 million youth in the United States over five years, LG Electronics USA launched a unique emotional wellness initiative called "Life's Good: Experience Happiness." Happiness skills can be learned, according to the Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley, which has identified six skills that sustain one's ability to recognize that life's good: mindfulness, human connection, positive outlook, purpose, generosity and gratitude. LG's award-winning science-based platform is designed to engage leading non-profit partners including Discovery Education, Inner Explorer, Project Happiness and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning that help equip American youth with the skills for sustainable happiness. www.LGExperienceHappiness.com

SOURCE LG Electronics USA