A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Earlier this month Federal Member for Kingston (S.A), Amanda Rishworth, moved a Private Members Motion acknowledging the findings of the UK Government’s review Letting the Children be Children on the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. It is heartening for those of us involved in this issue to see MP’s like Rishworth take the lead on [...]
This week the Black Dog Institute (BDI) announced the roll out of its Headstrong program. With the assistance of a $500,000 grant from the NIB Foundation, The BDI plan to train over 1500 teachers in the delivery of the program in an attempt to reach over 30,000 students. Mapped to satisfy the requirements of the [...]
The complex and emerging field of problematic internet use (PIU), commonly dubbed ‘internet addiction’, requires a comprehensive, empathic and culturally-sensitive approach to assessment, before one can commence treatment, or therapy. As indicated in my earlier article for Generation Next (January 2012), a few key points must be borne in mind during the assessment process: First, [...]
Traumatic images and stories of death and destruction following both man-made and natural disasters can cause great concern in young people. This occurs, not only for those directly affected, but children with a perceived threat of danger. Here are some tips on how you can help them: 1-Turn off the TV. Overexposure to coverage affects [...]
The St John's rector, Michael Bongers, last Thursday suspended 30 students for forcing a female student during O-Week to drink alcohol. She was allergic to it and ended up in hospital. This event comes as no surprise to those who have gone through similar experiences. via Trial by ordeal to enter university college's hallowed halls. [...]
The evidence for warning labels on alcohol products is strong, yet there is considerable opposition from industry. This is despite the fact that it is highly likely that the community will benefit. The sun herald has just run a story on it, in which 4 points of view were presented- 3 of them were against [...]
It seems the days of super skinny models are finally on their way out. This is great news for girls who struggle with their body image simply because they cannot achieve the emaciated looks they see in the media. In Holland the Elite Model Management has been forced to pay $93,500 for terminating a 3 [...]
ALMOST one in two Australian children are being bullied, a survey shows. The Queensland University of Technology study, involving 3112 students from grades 6 to 12 in nearly 30 schools around the country, found "traditional" face-to-face bullying was twice as prevalent as cyber-bullying.About 30 per cent of students reported being bullied in person, while 15 [...]
Three years ago, if you had logged onto my computer and looked at my recent history, you would have discovered I frequently trawled through pro-eating disordered websites. There are communities of males and females of varying ages on sites such as Live Journal, Tumblr, Facebook and MySpace all promoting anorexia as a lifestyle choice, rather [...]
Health experts are alarmed by school and university students routinely going on alcohol blinders, as new figures show more than 1000 children were treated at Perth hospital emergency departments last year for alcohol or drug use. Researchers and doctors say teenagers are drinking more and at younger ages, putting them on a path of regular [...]
