A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Jane Fisher and Maggie Kirkman Many people are experiencing free-floating anxiety in response to the adaptive challenges and uncertainty associated with COVID-19. Anxiety can reduce capacity to concentrate, and to plan and organise activities. Helpful guidance has been provided by government and non-government agencies on the benefits of maintaining routines, social connections and exercise, and the [...]
Usually, this week would have seen many students returning to school. But here in Victoria, they’re at home – after Premier Daniel Andrews announced that most students would be studying from home during their second term of the school year. For those students in their final year of high school who are already preparing for [...]
Alison Willis, University of the Sunshine Coast As children learn from home, parents are effectively running two schedules – work and school. Some children may not be able to get through all the work their school assigns in the time they have, which can leave parents feeling guilty. It’s important for parents to note they [...]
Emma Maynard, University of Portsmouth The UK has become the latest country to close schools in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is a game changer for families, displacing children from friends, learning and their school community. To help them through what could be months of isolation and potentially [...]
Nicole Racine, University of Calgary and Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary When stress is heightened — which it is for all of us right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic — children become aware of it and they try to locate the source of the stress. It is important to both acknowledge their concerns and [...]
Mandie Shean, Edith Cowan University As the number of new cases of coronavirus infection continue to rise the impact is now being felt in schools in Australia. At least four closed due to students and a staff member testing positive for the virus. Most international travel by Queensland students is also banned. It’s therefore important [...]
The video game monetisation strategy termed 'loot boxes' have come under fire from gamers and mental health organisations alike, but rarely from an organisation as well-known or respected as Britain's NHS. Claire Murdoch, the mental health director of the NHS, has called for the practice to be banned over concerns that it sets up children [...]
Remember anxiously waiting for your child to take their first steps or speak their first words? It’s exhilarating when they reach a new stage in their development. Every child grows and develops differently. Some will change at a steady pace and amaze us each day with a new skill or word, whereas others appear slow [...]
There is a body of research linking parent engagement to improved student learning outcomes in the classroom (Jeynes, 2010; Anderson & Minke 2007). Research has shown that when schools and families work together, children do better, stay in school longer and are more engaged in school. Parent engagement results in longer-term economic, social and emotional [...]
Children are too rarely asked their perspectives on public spaces. Traditionally, adults make choices for children, particularly about how they live and play. In yet-to-be-published research* on behalf of a local council, we asked 75 children aged 7-12 from ten primary schools in a disadvantaged area of Sydney to map what they value in their [...]
