Welcome to Still Learning, a not-for-profit education service working in partnership with the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. Still Learning provides high-quality tours and workshops about Buddhism and Mindfulness delivered by experienced practising Buddhists. Our sessions are engaging and interactive, as well as designed to meet your learning objectives.
Sheffield Buddhist Centre is a beautiful converted church situated in Walkley, Sheffield. We offer engaging, interactive and informative tours of the Buddhist Centre, tailor-made to suit all key-stages. Tours usually last for 2 hours.
Your pupils will experience first-hand the calming atmosphere and the sights, sounds and smells of a Buddhist Centre, complete with two beautiful shrine rooms, a variety of Buddhist artwork and statues and traditional Buddhist artefacts.
Below there’s information on Primary and Secondary school visits, information for scouts and trainee teachers, on mindfulness for schools and free download packs for schools.
For more information or to book a session use the contact form below, phone or email.
Below are some examples of popular themes and workshops we offer, although we are always happy to work with you to develop new activities to suit the needs of your class. Most of these activities can be adapted to suit any key stage.
If you can’t make it to the Buddhist Centre then we can come to you, we offer full or half day workshops in schools.
Since Still Learning started we have welcomed thousands of primary age children to the Buddhist Centre and visited them in their schools. We run high quality, educational tours with a variety of activities. A standard school tour will meet many of the curriculum’s objectives and could include the following:
– the life story of the Buddha and the symbolism of Buddha images,
– Buddhist teachings and practices including ethics and the Five Precepts,
– a simple non-religious meditation or breathing space exercise,
– Sangha or spiritual community and
– time for students’ questions.
However, we plan each session to be specific for the students attending and are happy to address themes and specific learning objectives with our wide range of learning. The sessions are planned and delivered by an experienced Buddhist, qualified teacher plus colleagues.
Still Learning was launched in 2009, in response to requests from teachers across the region. Since then we have worked with over 30,000 students and over 125 schools, universities and scout groups. All our team are DBS checked and have a wide range of teaching experience.
Why book a workshop? If you can’t get to the Buddhist Centre, why not bring the world of Buddhism into your classroom with workshops tailor-made to meet your learning objectives? Our interactive and informative workshops can help bring to life any aspect of Buddhist life and teachings, including a taste of Buddhist meditation with our popular meditations or ‘stilling exercises’, suitable for people of any faith or none.
Run by enthusiastic and committed Buddhists who can speak directly from their own experience about what it’s like to live by the Buddha’s teachings.
Minimum charge £150 Half day workshop £250 Full day workshop £350
We are committed to finding a way to give students a first hand experience of Buddhism whatever the budget. Please get in touch with us to find out more. When should I book? Please try to make any bookings at least one month in advance, which will help us to accommodate your preferred dates.
At Still Learning we have created some teachers’ notes which you might like to use in your classroom to follow on from one of our tours or workshops. You can access these by clicking on the links below:
Also, our friends at Clear Vision in Manchester have been working to bring Buddhism into schools for a number of years. They have produced lots of great resources to help staff and pupils study Buddhism. Sadly they closed down in 2020, but some of their very useful resources are still available and you can access them here.
I first became interested in Buddhism as a teenager from a chance encounter with a book found in my school library. I was immediately struck by how Buddhism taught that I could change how I experience the world and that I could grow as a person. However, it wasn’t until many years later at the Sheffield Buddhist centre, that I began to commit myself fully to Buddhist practice as I saw that practicing Buddhist teachings was having a very positive impact on my life and on the lives of others.
I was delighted to join the Still Learning Team in November 2018. My previous work has been as a teacher and as an artist and I feel privileged to be able to bring those skills together with my passion for Buddhism in order to teach children and young people about Buddhism.
I first came into contact with Buddhism in my final year of university when I attended an introductory course at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. I was instantly captivated by the revolutionary yet practical nature of the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha).
I began to meditate and apply Buddhism into my daily life and found that it actually worked! I had started to view the world differently and in a way that made me happier. I gained great confidence by this and became a committed Buddhist practitioner soon afterwards.
I enjoy sharing with others what I have learnt and how Buddhism has transformed me so I was delighted to join the Still Learning team in October 2013.
We have a range of exercises and activities, depending on ages and ability levels, exploring Buddhist ethics and their implications for how we might live as Buddhists.
How did the Buddha become the Buddha? Who was he before? What is enlightenment?
An understanding of the Buddha’s life story is an indispensable introduction to the religion. We draw out the key aspects using a beautiful painting that depicts the different events from the story.
We often theme our tours and visits around the Three Jewels of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dhamra and the Sangha. Find out why the Three Jewels are common and central to all schools of Buddhism.
