communication

The importance of teaching empathy

I feel that empathy is an essential skill for all students. Learning to empathise will better equip students to interpret the experiences of others, especially when others' attitudes, beliefs and ways of thinking are alien to their own. It also allows for better intercultural understanding and community cohesion between people of different economic, cultural and [...]

Tips on helping young people make friends

At any age friends play an integral part in people’s lives. For young people the forging of friendships is important for their social and mental development. However the process of making and keeping friends is not always easy. Children who feel they do not have friends may become withdrawn, exhibit antisocial behaviour and even become [...]

Internet overuse and addiction – warning signs, prevention and detection

For many young players it is the ‘fantasy world’ of the game that attracts them and it is this that they become addicted to; they would rather live in a world of online games than participate in the real world around them. This is especially true of RPG’s (role playing games) where the player morphs [...]

10 strategies to help kids develop resilience

Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’ from life’s difficulties. For many young people it is vital to help them develop resilience strategies that promote well-being and develop coping mechanisms. Many resilient teenagers are seen as resourceful and are emotionally and mentally balanced. Andrew Fuller is a clinical psychologist and chairperson of the Mental Health [...]

Sexting in the USA- New Survey Results

 The Crimes Against Children Research Center conducted two national surveys to develop a better understanding of sexting. The Third Youth Internet Safety Survey was a telephone survey done in 2010 with national sample of 1560 youth Internet users aged  10–17 years and their parents.  Almost 10% of youth (mostly girls aged 16–17 years) said they had "appeared [...]

Tips on how to help kids care

Recent research has show that we are naturally born with very strong altruistic tendencies. These feelings can be nurtured in young children to help them develop their sense of empathy towards others and the world around them. Felix Warneken, a doctoral student in the department of developmental and comparative psychology at the Max [...]

Vile Kyle-Not the Role Model That We Want for Our Young People

Kyle Sandilands' offensive and aggressive on-air behaviour continues, and the fallout for those corporations that support him is now such that they are abandoning him in droves. To summarise his most recent incident: "Sandilands apologised to news.com.au journalist Alison Stephenson after calling her a "fat slag" and a "piece of shit" - among other abusive [...]

Kids Spending Too Much Time in Front of Screens – Mostly with Parental Cooperation!

A recent survey of school children in NSW showed that young people are spending on average 3 hours per day in front of a screen (computer or tv), the majority of which is computer time. On weekdays about 44% of primary school and 61% of secondary school children spend more than the recommended 2 hours [...]

How to recognise kindness at 20 paces

In America the University of California, Berkeley has carried out a study (Thin-slicing study of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and the evaluation and expression of the prosocial disposition) on the body's receptor gene oxytocin; a gene commonly associated with bonding, empathy expressions of love. They found that we are hardwired to recognise empathetic strangers [...]

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