Cairn Guidance

Author: Brittany Echols, Health Education Curriculum Manager at Cairn Guidance As I reflect on my journey over the past few years, I feel immense gratitude for the incredible opportunities and people who have shaped my work. Working at Cairn Guidance has been an enriching experience—one filled with deep learning, meaningful collaboration, and a shared commitment to equity-driven health education. From supporting state and district initiatives to building capacity for comprehensive Read ▸ about New Chapter, Same Mission: Supporting Student Health & Wellness

Author: Jess Lawrence, Director at Cairn Guidance At the age of 15, my friend Nini Mohamed took an incredible journey— a difficult, life-changing trek to America by way of Somalia and a Kenyan refugee camp. His book, “The African in America” details the real-life struggle immigrants face while adapting to American culture, from unexpected racial divisions among Black Americans and African-born American Immigrants, to the need for acceptance within a community.  Motivated by Read ▸ about Body Confidence Athletes!

In April, the Cairn Guidance team will be traveling to the All Access with Andy Garcia studios to film a segment called, Cultivating Healthy Futures: Cairn Guidance & The Power of Health & Education for Student Wellness on All Access with Andy Garcia. We are excited to have been selected for this opportunity to talk about our work and the inextricable link between health and learning in our K-12 school systems. We hope you’ll tune in this summer when it airs! Here is a link to the Read ▸ about Cultivating Healthy Futures: Cairn Guidance & The Power of Health & Education for Student Wellness on All Access with Andy Garcia

Today is a very exciting day! For the first time since 2001, the Making Change™ (aka The Change Game) is available for purchase! I was introduced to the Making Change™ and Systems Thinking, Systems Changing™ simulations during my time as the Health Education Curriculum Specialist at the Oregon Department of Education during 2003-2006. I fell in love with the simulations, as I know many of you have! I observed genuine learning, growth, networking, and effective communication, all things Read ▸ about Making Change™ (aka The Change Game) is Available for Purchase!!

2024 was a year of success for our small, but mighty team. We worked with 68 clients from around the United States (WOW!), with 26 of those as retained clients from previous years. I asked each of our staff to sum up this past year in 1-2 words and this is what our team came up with: Gaige: Synergic Opportunities Samantha: Monumental Teamwork Brittany: Sustainable progress Sterling: Growth Mentality Jess: Exceeded Goals In 2025, we hope to continue to do more of the Read ▸ about Happy Holidays & Happy New Year from the Cairn Team!

The Cairn Guidance team is proud to introduce the annual School Health Leadership Award. This prestigious award honors education leaders across the nation, including Superintendents, Deputy Superintendents, Directors of Instruction, State and School Board Members, and Principals, who prioritize the health and well-being of students to help them reach their full potential. These visionary leaders recognize the vital connection between health and education. They are the change-makers who Read ▸ about Announcing Cairn Guidance’s Inaugural School Health Leadership Award!

On August 14-15, 2024, at Story in NuLu in Louisville, we are offering our first Training of Trainers (TOT) for our newly designed and updated Systems Thinking, Systems Changing™ simulation. The registration link is here. This simulation was developed over 30 years ago by The Network, Inc. with US Department of Education dollars. We purchased the intellectual property of two simulations: Systems Thinking, Systems Changing™ and Making Change™, aka The Change Game. We recently updated the Read ▸ about Waived Registration for the First Systems Thinking, Systems Changing™ Training of Trainers!

In October of 2016, I hired Samantha Lowe. She had recently graduated from Morehead State University with a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology. She was, in fact, the only candidate that seemed very comfortable with the idea of some of our work- sexual health education, substance use prevention, suicide, adolescent risk behaviors and many other health needs. Sam started as an executive assistant. Her tasks included creating binders for training events, organizing materials in the Read ▸ about Happy Birthday to our New Chief Operating Officer!