A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Flickr Images A new conversation is happening in educational circles, with many speaking up about the need for kids and teens to become 'porn literate'. It is increasingly evident that kids cannot cope with the onslaught of hyper sexed, supranormal, graphic, abusive, body punishing, downright degrading images they can openly access at the [...]
Flickr Images We keep our kids safe from stranger danger, and the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. We understand, in part from our own experience, the inherent risks. Who has not felt relief that the kids were indoors in front of the computer screen, or plugged into their smartphone instead of out [...]
Flickr Images There are few people who would willingly tuck into a bowl filled with 21 teaspoons of sugar just before sitting an exam. And yet teenagers and young people that throw back a standard 500mL energy drink are doing just that. As a teacher at a co-ed private school in Sydney last [...]
Have you ever been to Enfield? I had never even heard of it until I was 23 and living in London for graduate school. One afternoon, I received notification that a package whose arrival I had been anticipating for days had been bogged down in customs and was now in a FedEx warehouse in Enfield, [...]
Pixabay Images Drug education is the only part of the middle school curriculum I remember — perhaps because it backfired so spectacularly. Before reaching today’s legal drinking age, I was shooting cocaine and heroin. A new antidrug program tested in Europe, Australia and Canada is showing promise. Called Preventure, the program, developed by [...]
Some of the greatest impacts of drug use are on families, but families sometimes feel in a position of little control when it comes to responding. Often they receive mixed messages about what they should do. Ice or crystal meth, the strongest form of methamphetamine, has arguably the biggest impact on families of all drugs. [...]
Pixabay Images Data released late last week reveal Australia’s gambling habit is growing as fast as ever. The Australian Gambling Statistics for 2014-15 show adult Australians, on average, lost A$1,242 a year on gambling. The amount varies dramatically by state: in New South Wales the average loss was $1,518; in Tasmania, $762. Most [...]
Pixabay Images Any dog owner will tell you that we can use a food reward as a motivation to change a dog’s behaviour. But humans are just as susceptible to rewards too. When we get a reward, special pathways in our brain become activated. Not only does this feel good, but the activation [...]
Most people will encounter alcohol and/or other drugs during the teenage years, either through friends at school, at home with family or through TV or other media channels. Teachers can have a significant influence on young people and the extent to which students feel they are part of a school community. The conversations that teachers [...]
Stock Images OxyContin’s stunning success masked a fundamental problem: The drug wears off hours early in many people, a Los Angeles Times investigation found. OxyContin is a chemical cousin of heroin, and when it doesn’t last, patients can experience excruciating symptoms of withdrawal, including an intense craving for the drug. The problem offers [...]
