Staff Writer

About Generation Next

Generation Next is a social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people.

How to talk to kids and teens about world trauma

When the world is struck with a catastrophic event, the instinct to shield our children from the effects of it is completely understandable. We want them to grow up believing that the world is pure and good and geared in their favour. We also want them to feel safe, and avoiding a discussion isn’t necessarily [...]

By |2019-03-21T15:24:02+11:00March 18th, 2019|Categories: Trauma|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Second Student Program showcases gripping speakers for National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence

Last Friday saw our speakers give stellar presentations at our second and final Student and Youth Wellbeing Program. As part of the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, many of the presentations spoke to this theme which is becoming an increasing problem for young people.   Jonny Shannon started the day by relating [...]

By |2019-03-21T15:24:03+11:00March 18th, 2019|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , |0 Comments

We need a new definition of pornography – with consent at the centre

We all think we know what pornography is, whether we oppose it, use it, or tolerate it. But are we all conjuring up the same images? The term has been used to describe, for example: a music video clip of a naked Miley Cyrus straddling a wrecking ball; Bill Henson’s photographs of naked children, hung [...]

By |2019-03-21T15:24:03+11:00March 18th, 2019|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |1 Comment

Michael Jackson: as an expert in child sexual abuse here’s what I thought when I watched Leaving Neverland

Since Leaving Neverland – the disturbing documentary film about Michael Jackson and the nature of his relationship with two young boys – aired, many of Jackson’s fans have said they cannot believe their idol would commit the abuses alleged by the now adult men. But others watched horrified as stories from the 1980s and 1990s [...]

Tim Berners-Lee: ‘Stop web’s downward plunge to dysfunctional future’

Global action is required to tackle the web's "downward plunge to a dysfunctional future", its inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has told the BBC. He made the comments in an exclusive interview to mark 30 years since he submitted his proposal for the web. Sir Tim said people had realised how their data could be "manipulated" [...]

By |2021-02-24T18:16:45+11:00March 13th, 2019|Categories: Technology|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Student Wellbeing Program A Review

Generation Next ‘s first Student and Youth Wellbeing Program of 2019 was a huge success. The beautiful creative confines of the Casula Powerhouse Performing Arts Centre provided a backdrop for a day of wellbeing education. It wasn’t just the excellent students from local schools that got to participate, but also more than ten thousand teens [...]

Mother of Annalise Braakensiek says the late model got caught up in the eastern suburbs lifestyle and ‘perfect’ social media world

Annalise Braakensiek had a big and bubbly personality. She was sweet, loving and full of energy — that’s exactly how those close to the model remember her. But the mother of the late model has claimed her daughter got caught up in the Bondi Beach culture and was obsessed with perfecting her Instagram in the [...]

By |2021-03-03T16:07:04+11:00March 11th, 2019|Categories: Depression, Suicide, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

The power of peer support: How sharing lived experience of mental illness offers ‘a different kind of hope’

"When you find other people going through it, it's like realising you belong on Earth once more." That's how Graham Panther, a mental health advocate and consultant, describes finding people who, like him, live with "big feelings". "It's feeling like you belong on Earth, even when you feel awful," Mr Panther said. In his early [...]

Help an anxious teen with this glitter jar technique

When a teenager is really upset, parents often feel the need to do something — gather information (“Who hurt you and what’s their phone number?”), launch into a profound lecture, or maybe try a problem-solving technique they heard about in a TED talk. A better first response: Grab a glitter jar. It’s an idea psychologist [...]

By |2021-03-03T16:06:38+11:00March 11th, 2019|Categories: Anxiety|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Australian stations dump Michael Jackson’s music after Finding Neverland documentary

Radio stations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are refusing to play Michael Jackson's music in the wake of fresh allegations against him of child sex abuse. Sydney's Nova Entertainment on Thursday became the latest radio group to announce they are taking the late "King of Pop" off the air in response to public opinion. [...]

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