A new study from The Shamiri Institute explores he Shamiri Risk Management Protocol, addressing mental health concerns within schools in LMICs. The study has found that 60.5% of high-risk cases improved, and 51.8% of low-risk cases transitioned to no risk.   🔗 bit.ly/3Lmhp6n 

A study from TWCF grantee @duncanastle.bsky.social at @camneuro.bsky.social has discovered a common neural signature in a large developmental sample that suggests a gene-environment correlation within the brain in the development of mental illness.   🔗 Read the study: go.nature.com/4qCkkrC 

TWCF grantee @duncanastle.bsky.social at @camneuro.bsky.social has discovered a common neural signature in a large developmental sample drawn from the ABCD cohort that suggests a gene-environment correlation within the brain in the development of mental illness. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Another win & it means a lot! Our episode From Gangs to Growth just received a 2025 Davey Gold Award for Society & Culture. This honor belongs to the courageous young people of Medellín and the leaders walking beside them. 🎧 Revisit the award-winning story: www.storiesofimpact.org/from-gangs-t...

🔈Calling all natural, biomedical, social sciences, and humanities researchers 🔈 Apply for the 2026-2028 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program ⬅️ Early-career researchers can: ➡️ Foster novel interdisciplinary research ➡️ Develop networks ➡️ Strengthen leadership skills Apply by Nov 5 bit.ly/4fv4KIJ

A brief extract from a fun livestream with awesome colleagues hosted by Dr. Anne Valuska, organized by @templetonworld.bsky.social and Purina. Let's give non-human animals a real chance to show us how intelligent and capable they are. We can only benefit from engaging with nature with an open mind

When faced with tough decisions, people across the globe prefer making their own decisions rather than accepting advice or information from elsewhere, according to a study from TWCF #ListeningAndLearningInAPolarizedWorld grantee @igi.bsky.social at @uwaterloo.ca#ListeningAndLearningInAPolarizedWorld 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/49aB0Ad/

A scoping review by a team including TWCF grantee Angele Ishimwe from #TIPGlobalHealth investigates whether horizontal community health worker programmes are cost-effective in LMICs, to address a US$4.4 billion annual funding gap for professional CHW programmes. Read more @bmj.com: bit.ly/478LHki

Online religious services show lower self-reported experiences of shared identity & closeness with God compared with in-person attendance, according to a study from TWCF #ScienceOfReligiousAndSpiritualExercises grantee Patty Van Cappellen at Duke University. Read more in @rns.org#ScienceOfReligiousAndSpiritualExercisesbit.ly/470M7Jq

📣 Calling neuroscience researchers! Tiny Blue Dot has opened their Request for Proposals for up to 10 rigorous research projects related to an innovative neuroscience concept called Perception Box. Find out more and apply by October 7: bit.ly/4pVn7f9

A bonobo named Kanzi has shown that apes can mentally keep track of multiple familiar humans at once through hide-and-seek experiments. This research from @jhu.edu, led by @chriskrupenye.bsky.social, can help us understand more about how animals keep track of their groupmates. bit.ly/4nIp5h9

We are saddened by the passing of Dr. #JaneGoodall. Her chimpanzee research reshaped our understanding of animal intelligence and her advocacy for conservation & community empowerment leaves a legacy that will inspire generations. Hear her reflections in this @storiesofimpact.bsky.social podcast.

TWCF grantee @daviddesteno.bsky.social of @northeasternu.bsky.social spoke on the Huberman Lab podcast about the science of religion, exploring the benefits of belief, the role of community in well-being, and what science can reveal about the existence of God. 🎧 bit.ly/3KgIozR

PRIMED is an approach to education that supports both academic success and flourishing, developed by the Center for Character and Citizenship. A new TWCF grant will be used to create a system to train PRIMED facilitators to maximize the benefits of character education in schools. 🔗 bit.ly/3Vw8Bwz

New research identifies six constructs that young people living with HIV in Zimbabwe say define what it means to “thrive." Zvandiri developed a short film and illustrations to highlight the power of peer-delivered mental health and capture the lived realities of young people. bit.ly/4gCxrVm

A team from @ljmuofficial.bsky.social has been exploring how individuals across the MENA region experience and engage in entrepreneurial activity, funded by TWCF. At the closing phase of the grant, project Director Dr. Moustafa Haj Youssef reflects on the project's achievements. bit.ly/3VvnuiM

What happens when education leads with empathy? Nicole Bruskewitz and Henry May of CoSchool are transforming Colombia’s schools through character, healing, and connection. 🎧 Listen: pod.link/1519411454 #StoriesOfImpact #CharacterEducation #Peacebuilding #SEL

Since 2014, Edward Brooks has been educating a generation of wise thinkers and good leaders at @ox.ac.uk by cultivating traits like purpose, courage, love and hope through the TWCF supported Oxford Character Project. Read more in Greater Good Magazine. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item... 🔗

The TWCF Academic Writing Course helps professionals boost skills & increase their publication rate. 📚 We’re spotlighting alumni work—starting with Kat Schrier (Marist Univ.), whose new book chapter explores gamification & leader development. ➡️ Learn more: www.publicationacademy.org/twcf-academi...

We’re ending our week of clips from The Bahamas Laws of Life Essay Competition with Dylan Bastian, Primary Division Winner, whose courage helped him speak up and make his voice heard. We wish all students a courageous start to the new school year!

TeamUp is @warchilduk.bsky.social movement based intervention for young people in conflict zones that uses play, dance, and games to help children process trauma and build social connection. ⏯️ Watch the full in-depth video from @storiesofimpact.bsky.social on our blog: bit.ly/4p4glmY

To celebrate students going back to school this week, we’re sharing some inspiration from Asia Pierre, a Primary Division Finalist in the Bahamas Laws of Life Competition, who leads by example by showing respect and kindness to all.

20 years ago today, Hurricane Katrina became one of the worst natural disasters in US history. We are marking this day by sharing a @storiesofimpact.bsky.social video as we remember the survivors' inspiring determination to rebuild: bit.ly/4oYMbS1

Vashawn Johnson is a Primary Division Finalist in The Bahamas Laws of Life Essay Competition. 👏 Students in the competition select one of Sir John Templeton’s laws of life to write about. Vashwan’s essay talks about how creativity is meaningful in his life, & how it fosters innovation and progress.

The Bahamas Laws of Life Essay Competition is for Bahamian students to write about their beliefs and principles through the lens of Sir John Templeton’s Laws of Life. Adriel Moxey, a Junior Finalist, talks about how she practices self-discipline by making responsible choices.

Dr. Berry Billingsley ‪at Swansea University‬ is reimagining how classrooms engage with questions that transcend subject boundaries. On @storiesofimpact.bsky.social‬, she discusses how to equip students to explore queries on life, the universe, and existence. 🎧 bit.ly/47BzVAL

Should religion play a role in ethically guiding technology? Rabbi Zvika Krieger and host David Zvi Kalman discuss the Metaverse, how religion can lean into new technology, and connecting to a moral compass when designing new tech on the Belief in the Future podcast. 🎧 bit.ly/4lwXbTV

Have you been wondering what we've been doing in our TWCF @templetonworld.bsky.social project on animal joy? This video wonderfully produced by Richard Sergay @storiesofimpact.bsky.social explains all! www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TkY...

Launched in the summer of 2024 under the leadership of Stephen Fleming and Axel Cleeremans, the ETHOS project aims to compare the different variants of higher-order theories of consciousness through systematic empirical testing along two crucial "axes" of disagreement.

A new online quiz game, developed by TWCF grantee @joshuadgreene.bsky.social from @harvard.edu, pairs Democrats and Republicans on teams. Researchers found that gameplay can reduce negative partisanship, increase warmth, and even increase financial generosity. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/3Jb0F0L

Loneliness is a global public health challenge, but research largely focuses on the Global North. In @psychtoday.bsky.social, TWCF grantee Hans IJzerman discusses his global initiative to understand how people experience connection, isolation, & belonging. 🔗 #[bit.ly/45d7KVS

🐋🫧 A new study from an international team of biologists including TWCF grantee Laurance Doyle from @setiinstitute.bsky.social suggests humpback whales might be intentionally blowing bubbles in circles near boats & swimmers in friendly behavior, but more research is needed. 🔗bit.ly/4l6TV1a

TWCF grantee Cory Clark from @upenn.edu surveyed scholars who had engaged in #AdversarialCollaborations; ACs often save time during peer review, result in higher-quality research, & most felt they improved understanding in their field and would try ACs again. 🔗 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A project led by psychology professor Dr. Stephanie Denison has received more than $1.7 million CAD in funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation. Thanks to ‪University of Waterloo for sharing this - we're excited too! uwaterloo.ca/daily-bullet...

Can lawmaking keep up with the pace of our digital world? Journalist @glichfield.bsky.social joins host David Zvi Kalman to discuss the challenges governments face in responding to rapid technological change, and how this is mirrored in organized religion on the Belief in the Future podcast.

Many households across the world turn to informal suppliers for water - this network of microentrepreneurs have huge potential to contribute to universal access to water, with local and flexible services. A TWCF funded study examined models for integrating them into the water sector in Abidjan.

We’re looking for a Grant Compliance Associate to help ensure excellence in how we support global projects advancing human flourishing. 📍 Remote-friendly. 🌍 Bahamian citizens or persons with the right-to-work only. 🔗 Apply: www.templetonworldcharity.org/about-us/our...

What makes a question too big for the classroom? Dr. Berry Billingsley shares how blending science and religion invites deeper curiosity and why asking better questions shapes a richer kind of learning. 🎧 pod.link/1519411454 #StoriesOfImpact #Education #BigQuestions #HumanFlourishing

New research challenges the idea that autistic individuals are unable to share information effectively. TWCF grantee Catherine Cromption @uoe-sps.bsky.social found that autistic and non-autistic groups were able to communicate the same amount of information & mixed groups also performed similarly.

A TWCF funded study from @durham-university.bsky.social has found that chimpanzees comfort each other when in distress, showing human-like behaviors including embracing, hand-holding, and touching, despite typically being considered unempathetic or violent. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What is "spiritual expertise" and does it help individuals and societies flourish? Anthropologist @annaicorwin.bsky.social shares insights from her TWCF funded 3-year study on ""religious intelligence"" across 4 different cultures in this episode of @storiesofimpact.bsky.social.

Could AI help us speak dolphin? 🐬💬 Google is developing an AI model in partnership with @gtresearchnews.bsky.social and TWCF grantee @dolphinresearch.bsky.social to identify common patterns, structures, and even possible meanings behind dolphin communication. Read more in @sciam.bsky.social.

Phew! Long thread :) If it was too long, we also have this short video that explains what we did and what we found! media.ed.ac.uk/media/DiSI+A... Thanks to our funders @templetonworld.bsky.social and all our participants. Here’s a link to the paper again - nature.com/articles/s41...

Stories of Impact received a 2025 Communicator Award of Distinction for our science and tech series — honoring the voices and visions we’re grateful to share. Thank you for listening, for caring, and for walking alongside us. 🎧 pod.link/1519411454 #CommunicatorAwards #StoriesOfImpact

We’re divided — but why? Dr. Kurt Gray explores how moral psychology drives our political divisions — and how stories, not facts, may be the key to rebuilding trust. 🎧 pod.link/1519411454 #StoriesOfImpact #KurtGray #Polarization

💬 "Organizations that embrace flourishing as a cultural operating system don’t just feel better—they perform better." Find out how learnings from the #GlobalFlourishingStudy can inform the future of work and keep employees more engaged, more innovative, and more loyal in @forbes.com.

The #GlobalFlourishingStudy found that young adults don’t appear to be flourishing, struggle with their physical and mental health, perceptions of their own character, finding meaning in life, the quality of their relationships, & financial security. Via @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/w...

The first results of the #GlobalFlourishingStudy might surprise you, with Sweden ranked joint 13th, and Japan at the bottom of the pile of the 22 countries studied. In @nytimes.com, the researchers explore how it's reimagining our picture of flourishing: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/o...

Great description of #openscience in this panel discussion, describing the study as a more ‘generous way’ of doing science. First wave of papers out now www.nature.com/collections/...