Dear Parents/Carers,

A few weeks ago I spoke about resilience and shared some ways you can help your children develop their resilience. Mental health challenges are at unprecedented levels among our children. Recent research published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that anxiety, depression, and self-harm are on the rise. Around 40% of girls and 20% of boys have anxiety. (That’s about 8 girls and 4 boys in every school classroom around the country.) Diagnoses are climbing for children at younger ages. ADHD and autism diagnosis is also on the up.

This week, I am sharing an article from our ‘Healthy Families’ subscription “Hope Builders: Equipping Our Kids to Thrive in a Challenging World”. Hope is the engine of resilience. It is what empowers our kids to overcome challenges and thrive whereas resilience is the ability to bounce back after challenges and tough times.

Hope has three key components:

Goals: Having clear goals provides direction and purpose.
Pathways: Believing in one’s ability to find multiple routes to achieve those goals, even when faced with obstacles.
Agency: Having the confidence and self-belief to navigate those pathways and overcome challenges.

I ‘ hope’ you find the article helpful and are able to have a think about how you can be the ‘Hope Builders’ some of our children need.

Have a great week!

Kind Regards,

Vanessa Moore

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWC)

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