A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is stress-testing all aspects of society in uncomfortable and unsettling ways. In terms of education, COVID-19 has already stretched our education systems to breaking-point. By the end of March 2020, school closures had affected over 1.3 billion children and young people across the globe – that is nearly 80 per [...]
Self-isolation can be difficult and boring, but it can also be an opportunity for self-reflection and renewal. In many cultures, this is traditionally the purpose self-isolation has served.Self-isolation in religious traditions is in many ways about practising self-restraint and withdrawing from the ills of society. Fasting during Ramadan, Good Friday or Lent are exercises in [...]
Schools have been progressively moving classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is uncertainty over what the next months may bring. This has thrown many year 12 students’ lives into chaos. States and territories are yet to determine what will happen with final year exams. More than 180,000 students are expected to complete [...]
The probability of school closures to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a major challenge for senior school students. It is tempting to view this as an extended holiday with time for crashing out on the couch, watching squillions of episodes of Games of Thrones (again), spending endless hours messaging friends and consuming [...]
Emma Maynard, University of Portsmouth The UK has become the latest country to close schools in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is a game changer for families, displacing children from friends, learning and their school community. To help them through what could be months of isolation and potentially [...]
Every year about 150 students enrol in the introductory English literature course at the Australian National University, which I teach. The course includes works by Shakespeare, Austen, Woolf and Dickens. I know what these books did for me as a student 20 years ago, but times have changed. I am curious to discover what reading [...]
With the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, one of the recommendations by experts is social distancing and self-isolation when you experience symptoms. With the increase in travel restrictions and staying home, this is a good time to catch up on all the sleep lost as a result of our busy lifestyles. We spend a third [...]
Emphasis is currently being placed on people to self-isolate from their places of work and leisure, posing the home as a place of relative safety during the coronavirus pandemic. However, there is growing concern about what impact this might have on those trapped in intimate relationships with people who use violence and abuse. For some [...]
Don't be afraid to talk to your kids about the pandemic. They need to hear from you. Professor Jennie Hudson, Director of Macquarie University's Centre for Emotional Health, has advice that will help. Your children have definitely heard about coronavirus, and right now they are looking to the adults in their life for guidance. Importantly, [...]
Nicole Racine, University of Calgary and Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary When stress is heightened — which it is for all of us right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic — children become aware of it and they try to locate the source of the stress. It is important to both acknowledge their concerns and [...]
