Supporting Children and Young Adults – Always Optimistically Proactive
Posted 09 Mar 2020 in From the Principal
There seems so much for our children and young people to be worried about: climate change, humanitarian concerns (bushfires, famine, war) and of course, the more recent coronavirus. I believe that the Bold Park community ALWAYS stays in the optimistically proactive space – seeking to balance, empathy and action, knowledge and action, wellness and action.
Our children are ALWAYS at the centre of our thinking, discussions and decisions.
Our school community supports children from babies to young adults and meeting student need changes across those ages. Our staff are on the front line of what concerns children and more often than not, what is worrying the trusted adults in a child’s life – worries them too.
I’m with you on this journey too! My wife and I have discussed our own understandings of the coronavirus with our family at home (daughter 16 and son 14) and we have revised our proactive actions together. Given their ages, our children have been a good barometer of ‘how far is too far’ as we negotiate our son’s well-targeted humour and daughter’s appropriately timed ‘over-the-glasses-are-you-for-real?’ stare. Stocking up on a few extra cans of Baked Beans on the weekend was under question as one of them quipped ‘But Dad – you’re the only one that will eat them’ and balancing these moments with the necessity to upscale our hand-washing routines at the same time – it’s fun I know!
As we navigate this more recent challenge, there will be new-news and new-updates that we need to pass on to you and I suspect this will be ongoing for some time. I can assure you that our commitment is to remain both vigilant and optimistically proactive and to encourage our whole community to stay informed in approaching every challenge with empathy and wellness front of mind.
I am including a short video from Maggie Dent that talks about the pressures on our young people and how we can best support them, along with a terrific article from the Head of Headspace Schools, Kristen Douglas’ (although related to the recent bushfires, it is poignant in outlining the best approach for supporting children and young adults)
Maggie Dent: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=637612000142253
Our AISWA school psychologist, Toni Tomlin also suggested a great ABC article specifically on the coronavirus: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-04/how-to-talk-to-children-about-coronavirus/12020324
I do want to thank you all. We have only received great advice, good questions and great support from our community in the handling of this current focus.
It is greatly appreciated!
