Before teenagers start school again, help them reach their goals this year with these 5 encouraging back-to-school conversations!
Personal Development Articles and Episodes
If you’re looking to develop interpersonal skills and general well-being, you’ve come to the right place! Check back regularly for tips on how to improve your mental health, build better connections, and lead a healthier lifestyle.
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Citizenship & Community
Citizenship. For some, the word invokes images of Boy Scouts saying the pledge of allegiance or students volunteering at the library. Most of us would define the word by a reference to service of some kind. Many of us older adults mourn the loss of citizenship among our students. Many think of citizenship as a product of a bygone era, no longer possible or practical among our digital generation of teens. My son has been learning about citizenship in his martial arts class. In each class, there is a simple lesson geared toward the 3 to 5 year-old students about picking up trash, saying hi to a new student in class, helping an elderly person who lives in your neighborhood, opening doors for others, etc. As I listened to his instructor, I realized that while the stated character trait was citizenship, it was ultimately about community.
13 Reasons Why: The Role of Adults
In this final episode of the Teen Life Podcast’s series on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, the Teen Life staff is talking about the role of adults in teenagers’ lives.
3 Ways to Follow Through
Saying nice things to teenagers is easy…following through is the hard part! Recently I went to lunch with a teen who talked about the power of following through. In the midst of loss, she needed people who would actually show up. Who would stop right there and pray for her. Who would send follow-up texts telling her they were thinking of her. Who would ask about lunch and make it happen. She said the nice things people said meant nothing if they weren’t backed by actions. I have a confession. I am guilty of this. But we can change that! We can be better, more supportive, and more invested. Here are three easy ways to follow through and mean it.
The Unexpected of a Traumatic Injury with Tyson Dever
Join our conversation with Tyson Dever and his co-author, Sarah Paulk, as we talk about traumatic injury, tragedy, recovery, motivation, and the will to thrive.
Some Encouragement for Educators
Educators: you have earned a break. Thank you for loving kids and pouring so much into their development. Here are some things to think about for Summer.