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Lasse Leponiemi

Chairman, The HundrED Foundation
first.last@hundred.org

Nidhi Perception

“Early wellbeing. Before crisis begins.”

“A perception-led, non-clinical wellbeing framework that helps schools and universities support learners early, before distress escalates into crisis.”

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated January 2026
Web presence

2022

Established

2

Countries
All students
Target group
We aim to shift education from crisis-driven mental health responses to early, human, and preventative wellbeing support. Our goal is to embed emotional awareness and safe entry points for help within everyday learning environments, so learners feel seen, supported, and resilient before distress escalates.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

I created this innovation after working for many years with children, young people, families, and educators and consistently seeing the same challenge: distress is often recognised too late in education systems. Learners frequently struggle in silence, and support is usually accessed only once difficulties escalate into behavioural issues, disengagement, or mental health crises.

Wellbeing support in schools and universities is often reactive or overly clinical, making it feel inaccessible or intimidating for many students. At the same time, educators want to help but may lack practical, non-clinical frameworks to identify early signs of distress and respond in a safe, relational, and culturally sensitive way.

Through Nidhi Perception, this innovation was created to redesign how learners first recognise distress and access support embedding wellbeing into everyday educational environments rather than treating it as a crisis response. The aim is to create safe, early entry points that strengthen emotional awareness, support educators, and reduce escalation by intervening before challenges become overwhelming.

This work is grounded in real-world practice across diverse communities and is driven by the belief that wellbeing is foundational to learning, belonging, and long-term educational outcomes.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

In practice, this innovation is embedded within schools and universities as a flexible, perception-led wellbeing model rather than a standalone program. It operates through structured touchpoints such as classroom conversations, wellbeing check-ins, storytelling, reflective activities, educator training, and student-led spaces that normalise emotional awareness and help-seeking.

Educators are supported with simple, non-clinical tools to notice early signs of distress, respond with confidence, and guide learners to appropriate support pathways when needed. Students engage through age-appropriate activities that build emotional literacy, self-reflection, and a sense of safety, without labelling or clinical pressure.

The model adapts to each educational context from early childhood settings to universities and integrates into existing routines, curriculum, and community partnerships. It works alongside formal mental health services but focuses on early engagement, prevention, and relational support, ensuring wellbeing becomes part of everyday learning rather than a crisis response.

How has it been spreading?

The innovation has been spreading through partnerships with schools, universities, community organisations, and wellbeing networks. It is shared through educator training, pilot implementations, workshops, and integration into existing wellbeing and learning frameworks rather than through a fixed program.

Adoption has grown organically as institutions recognise the need for early, non-clinical mental health entry points that are practical, culturally adaptable, and easy to embed into everyday educational environments. Word-of-mouth, professional networks, conferences, and cross-sector collaborations have supported its expansion across different settings and regions.

The model’s flexibility allows it to be adapted to diverse educational systems, enabling scaling without losing its core principles of early engagement, relational safety, and accessibility.

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

The framework has been refined through real-world implementation across different educational and cultural contexts. Feedback from educators, students, families, and wellbeing professionals has informed clearer entry pathways, improved language accessibility, and stronger alignment with existing school and university systems.

Over time, modular components have been added to support different age groups, neurodiversity, and varying levels of institutional readiness. The innovation has also evolved to include training resources, reflective tools, and partnership models that enable sustainable adoption without increasing clinical burden on educators or students.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Begin by reaching out to Nidhi Perception to explore whether the framework fits your school, university, or learning community. An initial conversation helps identify your context, readiness, and goals. From there, a small pilot can be introduced through staff orientation, student-facing activities, or wellbeing entry points already in place. Ongoing guidance and resources support gradual, sustainable integration without disrupting existing systems.

Spread of the innovation

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