The Resilience Foundation

October is Anxiety and Depression Awareness month. Raising our resilience has become a recognised way of helping to combat the many issues which are associated with anxiety and depression.

The Resilience Foundation is a not for profit organisation to create wellbeing in young people, their families and their communities.

Clinical psychologist and Consultant to The Resilience Foundation,  Andrew Fuller said “Belonging is the essence of resilience. It is the most powerful antidote we know for suicide, violence and drug abuse. The family is the most powerful structure of human belonging in the whole world”.

Their website provides an online survey for young people in schools or communities so that their resilience factors and vulnerabilities can be profiled. This provides a way of mapping the strengths of young people that allows schools and communities to strategically plan to enhance wellbeing.

The Foundation puts forward that fundamental to building resilience in young people is 40 factors or assets that promote and protect young people while promoting wellbeing.

These qualities are made up of positive experiences, personal qualities, relationships and opportunities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring and responsible.

It is important that teenagers have some of these assets or qualities as positive supports in their lives. Some of the 40 factors and assets include:

  • Family support & communication
  • Young people are seen as resources by their community
  • Safety
  • Family & school boundaries
  • Adult role models
  • Creative activities
  • Social justice
  • Integrity & honesty
  • Planning & decision making
  • Cultural competence
  • Positive view of the future

For Professionals
The website has information covering several areas aimed at schools and professionals working with young people including:
Survey and management – online survey creates asset profile of young people
Communication – publications and practical tools to build resilience
Networking – allows professionals to engage in discussion
Support – provides strategic support to community asset building initiatives

For Parents
It also has a page for parents with lots of ideas of how to positively communicate with children and build positive resilience at home.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: The Resilience Foundation