By: Collett SmartFestivities can be so much fun, and parties provide opportunities for socialising and a little freedom for older teens. It is wonderful to be young! Encouragingly, it has been reported that teens today are making better choices with alcohol than previous generations. Yet I am...
By: Collett SmartThere is something both exhilarating and scary about the freedom that comes with being a teenager. Some of the teens I chat with mention how much they love going out with friends, but feel conflicted about the peer pressure around sleepovers, parties and alcohol. While some see...
By: Collett SmartA shortage of healthy touch can have detrimental effects on our health and wellbeing, even leading to psychologically damaging effects. Of course, we’ve known for many years about the importance of touch for the healthy physical and psychological growth of...
By: Collett Smart“I love teenagers!” Yet… I find that whenever I say this phrase people look at me and chuckle, as if waiting for the punchline. There is none. It’s true! I really do love teenagers! Every year I get to spend a week in January with a few hundred teenagers...
By: Collett SmartNature is known to provide cognitive benefits and enhance our overall physical and mental wellbeing. Yet, for some tweens, spending too much time on technology, sees them not getting enough exercise or spending enough time outdoors. So how do we help our young people create a...
By: Steff Willis, 96fiveA recent study conducted by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation revealed that 4 in 5 parents would respond with anger and blame if they discovered their child was sharing inappropriate images online. The Australian Federal Police are urging parents to take a...
By: Collett SmartWeekly news reports of traumatic images and stories of pain and destruction such as; natural disasters (bushfires, floods, volcanoes and earthquakes), the coronavirus, terrorist attacks, threats of war and shootings can cause great concern in children. Adults can sometimes assume...
By: Georgia FreeJanuary 6, 2014. Michelle McLaughlin was excited to be on holiday with her husband, children and parents-in-law, on NSW’s Central Coast. Little did Michelle know, an afternoon trip to the beach was about to become the worst day of her life.A parent’s worst...
By: Brendan JaenschThere are often two extreme responses when it comes to children starting school for the first time: some excitedly run into school grounds, never looking back, while others cling to mum and dad for dear life. And it’s not just the children who experience a whirl of...
By: Dr Eliezer GonzalezThink about the most influential men and women who have ever lived; those who have brought the most good into the world. I’m sure that a few names spring to mind. But perhaps they aren’t the most influential people in the world. Perhaps the most influential...
By: Laura BennettWith the UN Glasgow Climate Change Conference, and sustainability and environmental stewardship continuing to be a hot topic, it’s important these issues are accessible – and not scary – to the kids that are becoming increasingly aware of them.Lauren Briggs is a...
By: Michael CrooksGrowing up in Gunnedah, NSW, Vanessa Stoykov was taught you had to work hard for your money.“Now, it’s about working smart,” she said. “And that doesn’t mean you don’t have to work hard – it just means smart work is the work that you have...
