Wellbeing Australia

Mind & Its Potential 2010, Sydney, 18-19 November

2010-03-17T03:15:28Z

Science is only just beginning to understand the extraordinary capacity of the brain to change and develop. The implications for how we learn, work and care for one another are profound. Mind & Its Potential is your opportunity to hear the world's top scientists, psychologists and philosophers explain how to apply the new science of the brain in education, medicine, business and your life. More information at mindanditspotential.com.au

Consultation on the draft Australian Curriculum

2010-03-17T02:38:53Z

Consultation is open until the end of May 2010. There is an Online Survey, plus national and state forums, Join in if and where you can, and mention the need for wellbeing and SEL to be part of the Curriculum!

Happiness & Its Causes 2010, Sydney, 5-6 May

2010-03-17T02:38:48Z

How are we to work, teach our children, care for others, contribute to society and create a life of happiness and well-being? Each year, over 2,000 people from all walks of life meet at Happiness & Its Causes to examine the big issues of life. The conference brings together the world's top psychologists, scientists, philosopher's and thinkers to explain practical strategies to enhance the happiness of yourself and others. More information at happinessanditscauses.com.au

Deepak Chopra in Australia, April 2010

2010-03-17T02:29:51Z

Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul ... Full day workshop in Sydney on April 24th, evening lectures in Melbourne on April 25th and Brisbane on April 27th. Download a leaflet with further details here, or go to deepakchopratour.com

National Conference Against Bullying 2010, Melbourne, 9-10 April

2010-03-17T02:22:58Z

The 2010 conference promises to give schools evidence-based information and strategies about cyber safety, how to use the new technologies to enhance learning, and ways to improve student wellbeing. More information at ncab.org.au/ConferenceInfo/

Greatest happiness rather than greatest wealth

2009-10-25T02:52:30Z

President Sarkozy of France is promising a 'revolution' in the way we measure social progress. He says we need a change of emphasis from GDP to wellbeing and sustainability...in ways that don't damage the planet. Read more about this here.

The dangers of young children being labelled as 'naughty'

2009-10-25T02:31:17Z

Young children can be placed on a downward slippery slope by being categorised as 'naughty' in their early days at school. Read the recent research by Maggie MacClure and Liz Jones here.

Conference: Cybersafety and wellbeing solutions for schools

2009-09-23T14:15:10Z

Navigating the Maze: Cybersafety and wellbeing solutions for schools - 4th Biennial NCAB Conference, Hilton on the Park--Melbourne, 8-10 April 2010. More details here.]]>

Media Statement

13 August 2009

Cyberbullying is increasingly becoming a danger to young people. It can have devastating effects as we've seen with the recent incidents.

Recent research shows up to 10% of Australian children in upper primary and secondary schools experience cyberbullying.[1]

This is one reason why The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is developing a national Cybersafety and Wellbeing Initiative, which will support schools to tackle cyberbullying, as well as other issues such as 'sexting', the risk of being targeted by sexual predators, unethical use and download of copyright materials, access to inappropriate content, identity fraud and a range of other 'cyber' risks.

The initiative will help schools develop policies and practices to encourage students, teachers and parents to use technology in a smart, safe and responsible manner.

It will point schools to teaching resources on cybersafety, but also to resources that help them make the links between technology and wellbeing issues.

Schools will have to provide evidence that they are actively implementing cybersafety policies and evaluating the effectiveness of what they are doing.

The development of the initiative is informed by a number of cybersafety experts from across Australia.

The initiative will be piloted in a handful of schools later this year. We expect to be ready to release it more widely in 2010.

Seed funding was secured in late 2008 from a range of supporters, including the Victorian Government. A national pilot has been funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

'Important to remember though that this is an issue of behaviour, more than it is of technology. We really need to get serious about behaviour and support schools to focus on building a culture of respect and caring in addition to teaching the traditional academic subjects.'

Dr Judith Slocombe CEO, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation

'The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is about to pilot our Cybersafety and Wellbeing Initiative: a framework which helps school communities develop policies and practices that encourage students teachers and parents to use mobile phone and computer technology more safely and more effectively.

Technology plays and extremely important role in the lives of children and young people, and it has many important benefits. However, there are risks which young people need to be aware of and protected from: risks such as cyberbullying, online sexual predation and identity theft to name just a few.

It is also really important for young people to be aware of their own behaviour online and to think about if what they are posting, sharing with others or downloading is appropriate. Kids need to understand that everything they do with technology leaves a trace, a 'digital footprint'. A good tip for young people is, when in doubt about whether to say or post something online, use the 'school assembly' rule: if you wouldn't want something held up, read out or displayed at your school assembly, it's safer not to text, post, email or chat about it over your phone or the internet.

Young people need to be smart, safe and responsible when using technology. There are some great websites out there with some really useful tips for parents, teachers and kids.'

Jackie Van Vugt, Cybersafety Manager, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

About The Alannah and Madeline Foundation

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is a national charity keeping children safe from violence and its devastating impact. We care for children who experience or witness serious violence; develop programs which help prevent violence in the lives of young people; and play an advocacy role as a voice against childhood violence. For more information about the Foundation visit www.amf.org.au

Media enquiries

Please contact:

Kristina Garla

Communications Manager

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation

0409 700 192

[1] Cross, D., Shaw, T., Hearn, L., Epstein, M., Monks, H., Lester, l., & Thomas, L. 2009. Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study (ACBPS). Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Perth.

Children and Families: Reducing Risk, Building Resilience

2009-09-23T14:08:45Z

Family Relationship Services Australia 2nd National Conference 'Children and Families: Reducing Risk, Building Resilience', 24 - 26 November 2009, Sydney NSW. More details here

Circle Time Solutions training

2009-09-23T03:40:41Z

Circle Time Solutions is a way of maximising engagement, improving behaviour and relationships and increasing resilience. Recent research points to the effectiveness of CTS so long as the facilitation is in accordance with the principles of inclusion, respect and safety.
October 30th: Free Seminar for School Leaders at Penrith District Office
November 27th: Introduction to Circle Time Solutions: Sydney
December 2nd : Introduction to Circle TIme Solutions: Brisbane (run by Pearson)
December 3rd: Introduction to Circle Time Solutions: Melbourne (run by Pearson)
December 4the and 5th. Circle Solutions Trainer Program (to embed and sustain Circles and Wellbeing in your school) Melbourne: (run by Inyahead)
Enquiries here.

Newsletter Spring 2009

2009-08-27T14:03:19Z

The Spring 2009 Wellbeing Australia newsletter includes an invitation to a breakfast in National Child Protection Week early September and encouragement to complete a survey linked to the prevention of child abuse. You will also find information on other organisations promoting wellbeing, upcoming conferences, cyber safety and a new circle time trainer program. Feel free to distribute.

]]> PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE: We need your help

National Child Protection Week September 8^th to 14^th marks the start of a 2 month campaign to engage the whole of Australia in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. NAPCAN is calling on all Australian adults to start thinking about this issue and how to solve it. They aim to 'bring the walls down' - the walls of fear, ignorance, denial and disinterest. From 6^th September to 1^st November have your say by completing an on-line survey of community attitudes which will help in planning effective prevention strategies. To complete the survey go to www.preventingchildabuse.com.au Tell your friends and colleagues. If they don't have the internet they can phone 1800 126 456. Site and lines open from 6^th September 2009 - please note in your diary.

You are invited to attend a breakfast during NCPW to launch this campaign. Check out what is happening in your state or territory on: http://www.napcan.org.au/campaigns/child-protection-week The breakfast in Sydney is on Wednesday September 9^th at Parliament House starting at 7.30 am. Tickets are $70 and available from the following link or phone 136 100. http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/NAPCAN-Charity-tickets/artist/1055683

Cyber Safety. There is a growing concern about cyber bullying that needs to be addressed. Erebus International, along with Dr Toni Noble and Dr Helen McGrath are conducting a review of the National Safe Schools Framework. The review project commenced in April 2009 and is due for completion in mid- 2010.

The 4^th Biennial conference for the National Centre Against Bullying is also addressing this issue. Navigating the Maze: Cyber-Bullying and Wellbeing Solutions for Schools April 8-10 Melbourne

Circle Time Solutions Trainer Programs are taking place in Adelaide on October 9^th and 10^th, Sydney October 16^th and 17^th (limited availability) and Melbourne December 4^th and 5^th. This provides materials and on-going support to enable the ten participants to train staff and embed CTS in their own schools. Prior attendance at an Introduction to Circle Time is required. This includes Inyahead training. There is an Introduction to Circle Time prior to all Trainer programs. Enquiries here.

South Australia: There is a wealth of information, resources and reflections on the new South Australia Learner Wellbeing Website. It is well worth having a look at this for ideas to share and develop http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/learnerwellbeing

In the meantime read Pip Field's report on the Wellbeing for Learning Inquiry Showcase where Patrick Duignan was the main speaker.

The McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing. The August newsletter features a recent roundtable exploring the links between family violence and social inclusion and the Centre's work in child health and wellbeing; You can download newsletters from this link: http://www.mccaugheycentre.unimelb.edu.au/news/newsletters

EdWell is a new networking organization, launched on 30^th June at the Mindmatters Conference in New Brighton. The aim is to bring education and health professionals closer together to promote mental health in schools and to influence policy. The main drivers for this initiative are the Hunter Institute of Mental Health and Principals Australia. Several members of Wellbeing Australia are involved. We will link to their website when it is established.

Check it out: New to the site is the Ofsted Report from the UK which talks about the value of nurture groups in schools to prevent the exclusion of young children. Want to know more?
http://www.nurturegroups.org/pages/what_is_a_nurture_group.html

Read the report on the site from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare "Making progress: the health, development and wellbeing of Australia's children and young people."

Conferences: Upcoming conferences that may be of interest:

2009

APPCAN Asia Pacific Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Perth November 15^th - 18^th http://www.apccan2009.org.au/index.html

2010

2^nd Positive Psychology and Wellbeing Conference: Monash University 12-13^th February http://www.positivepsychologyaustralia.org/

The Happiness and its Causes Conference 5-6^th May Sydney - features, amongst others, Barbara Fredrickson and Naomi Wolf http://www.happinessanditscauses.com.au/

The Positive Schools Conference Fremantle Friday 21^st May http://www.positiveschools.com.au/index.html

Making progress: the wellbeing of Australia's children

2009-08-10T16:42:56Z

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have released a report entitled "Making progress: the health, development and wellbeing of Australia's children and young people" You can download specific sections from this website.

What do children say about school?

2009-07-20T07:10:19Z

About the importance of friends, relationships with teachers and their participation in the learning environment? This recent (June 2009) report from the NSW Commission for Children and Young People shows how important schools are to children's wellbeing and ways in which they can either promote or undermine this. NSW children talk about school.pdf

National Values Education Conference 2009

2009-07-06T05:17:41Z

Values in Action: Shaping Positive Futures: 30 April & 1 May: report from Sue Cahill]]> The conference bought together national and international speakers, stakeholders, curriculum leaders, teachers, principals and students. Keynote addresses, presentations and workshops celebrated values education and provided the impetus for discussions about leading and sustaining values education in Australian schools.

Keynote speakers included:

Dr Ruth Deakin Crick, University of Bristol, UK whose paper Learning Power and Values: Reconciling the personal with the public in an inquiry based curriculum opened the conference;
Professor Terry Lovat, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Newcastle who shared the findings of the DEEWR project: Testing and Measuring the Impact of Values Education on Student Effects and School Ambience;
Ameeta Wattal, Principal, Springdales School, New Delhi, India who gave us an insight into Values Education: An Indian perspective and
John Marsden, author and Principal, Candlebark School, Romsey, Victoria who talked about the Learning Experience that changed lives.

David Brown, Project Director for Values Education from Curriculum Corporation, spoke about the findings from the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project Stage 2 as published in At the Heart of What We Do: Values Education at the Centre of Schooling - The Final Report of the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project - Stage 2.

The final report states:

The principles of good practice in values education are:

Establish and consistently use a common and shared values language across the school
Use pedagogies that are values-focused and student-centred within all curriculum.
Develop values education as an integrated curriculum concept, rather than as a program, an event or an addition to curriculum
Explicitly teach values so students know what the values mean and how the values are lived
Implicitly model values and explicitly foster the modelling of values
Develop relevant and engaging values approaches connected to local and global contexts and which offer real opportunity for student agency
Use values education to consciously foster intercultural understanding, social cohesion and social inclusion
Provide teachers with informed, sustained and targeted professional learning and foster their professional collaborations
Encourage teachers to take risks in their approaches to values education
Gather and monitor data for continuous improvement in values education

Furthermore, to embed Values Education in our schools the pedagogies that have succeeded are:

Student-centered rather than teacher/content centered
Open, non-didactic, constructivist, risky
Engage students through thinking, imagination, feeling, activity and reflection
Empower students and share control of the teaching learning situation (student agency)
Engage student through real and authentic experiences
Enable student action and provide opportunities to enact the values in real ways
Consistent, congruent modeling of the values
Provide safe and supportive environments

He finished his presentation with current issues in the changing landscape. These being:

Values education (VE) in the Melbourne Declaration, the National Education Agreement and National Partnerships
VE in the National Curriculum - a place at the table?
VE's role in fostering student well-being, student resilience
The quest for evidence-based outcomes and approaches
Closing the gap between indigenous education and low SES schools
Values education in the Digital Education Revolution
Getting beyond the school gates: VE in bridging the community-family-school divides
VE and better academic outcomes - reframing the function of schooling?

As always, one came away from the conference refreshed in knowing that Values Education, both explicit and implicit, in Australia is held in high esteem internationally and confident that we are making a difference.

Sue Cahill: Cluster Co-ordinator, Melbourne Eastern Region Values in Action Project

For copies of the above papers please e-mail me.

News & Latest: June 2009

2009-06-30T03:15:06Z

According to a new UK Ofsted report, excluding young children just passes on the problem - children need connection, not exclusion. It's a challenging notion for many teachers but we need to think through how to intervene to promote positive cycles of resilience and pro-social behaviour, not reinforce negative behaviours.

The Director of Education at Ofsted, UK Miriam Rosen, was on BBC Radio talking about their report and said that Nurture Groups were an effective strategy to prevent exclusions and a positive way to work with children. There are items on the Times and BBC online news sites.

]]> Mindmatters has been having a make-over. It also now has its own dedicated website. Check it out and see what's different and what is available for professional development.

For those in primary schools the kidsmatters website has useful information including resource for aspects of social and emotional learning.

Barbara Fredrickson's book on Positivity was published earlier this year. LIsten to Barbara speaking about her research on Youtube

Tips for teachers - why you should give your students time to answer. Read here

Go into Events to find out about Jenny Fox Eades two day course in August in Canberra on Celebrating Strengths in Schools.

The Happiness and its Causes conference in Sydney in May received a lot of publicity, especially John Gottman who researches intimate relationships and Norman Doidge whose work is on neuroplasticity and how experiences can change the structure of the brain. Sonia Lyubomirsky. Professor of Psychology at the University of California spoke about her research published in the How of Happiness (Sphere 2007) No surprise that gratitude and kindness were major factors. Read here about the contagion of happiness in social networks.

The International Institute for Restorative Practices has compiled a 36-page booklet of findings from schools in the United States, England and Canada that are implementing restorative practices. Go into the Resources page to download

Do you want to implement Circle Time Solutions across the whole school, train staff and sustain a new focus on healthy relationships? There are now trainer sessions available for those who have completed an Introductory day and have been running Circles themselves. More details on the Circle Solutions Network or you can make make an enquiry here