A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
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 [...]
When you think of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kid, or in fact any kid, imagine what’s possible. Don’t define us through the lens of disadvantage […] Expect the best of us. – Excerpt from the Imagination Declaration, August 2019. A group of school students from across Australia have just shown what real leadership [...]
The human need for connection leads young people to be especially vulnerable to extremist groups who promise deep connection, comradeship, brotherhood and belonging. Even a cursory glance at recent books on extremism makes clear the kinds of emotions that most scholars and policymakers see as central to the appeal of the radical right. Titles like [...]
gettyimages It’s concerning to see boys at war with themselves and the world. But what if radicalisation held some powerful insights for us? Radicalisation isn’t new. Attractive to boys adrift from society, it has surfaced in gangs, neo Nazi groups, football hooliganism and the like. But never before has radicalisation gone global, or been so extreme. Traditionally it was boys from fractured or marginalised communities, lacking good male role models and surrounded by violent narratives, who were [...]
www.laurelschool.org Over the past year, Resilient Youth Australia has surveyed 18,156 young Australian females in years 3 to 12 to gain a picture of their resilience. This paper is written to help you think about ways to build upon the strengths of girls and young women as well as addressing their areas of [...]
We have to be vigilant about who we bring into our children’s lives. We have to be wary. But we also have to trust in others and in society to help us raise our children. Once the checks and balances are made, the safety parameters are installed we need to make a leap of faith. [...]
The brain has evolved to respond in predictable ways to threats in the physical environment. Similarly, the brain is attuned to identify and reinforce behaviours that benefit our survival. These threat and reward-related circuits are well described. For example the amygdala, the most well studies threat-related brain region, responds to universally threatening stimuli such as [...]
