Recently, I have been taking some time to slow down and read a book. The latest one titled, 'The Resilience Project, Finding Happiness Through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness' by Hugh Van Cuylenburg.

Whilst it is not grounded in Christian values, I am finding so many fascinating parallels to the anecdotes of Hugh's life and that of his family members in light of what God shares with us about community. Hugh takes the reader through the twists and turns, horrors and joys, injustices and peace, and gut wrenching vulnerability of mental health, all whilst sharing the determination that with self reflection, we can seek happy and fulfilling lives. The question I have kept asking myself throughout all of this, sits around our responsibility as a collective community to ensure the wellness of the 'beings' around us through our own wellbeing?

Growing up, I often heard it said, 'that you can't help someone unless they want to help themselves.' Being a little older with some life experience, I wonder if we coin the phrase a little differently, 'you can help others, even if they can't communicate what they need by being what you can for them even if they don't know what they need.' I am no philosopher, however in my own life know that there have been times that I've been in need but haven't quite known what is I have needed, but the simple acts of someone has made me felt seen, noticed and valued.

Hugh now travels the world with his message around building healthy resilient communities and shares these lessons to thousands of educational and corporate communities through the acronym GEM (Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness) :

Practise Gratitude - Focus on the positives and the things you have
Cultivate Empathy - Be kind to others
Be Mindful - Take time to focus on the present moment (some fabulous tips on turning down the dial on technology. Send me an email if you want the excerpt)

Simple, profound but not always at the forefront of our thinking as we consider others.

In the Bible we read in Paul's account to the Philippians his encouragement of the church, that in despite hardships that they may be facing in live that they have hope beyond this as they walk out the truth of God's love for them and for others. That through activation of community; humility, love and service to one another can bring joy and fellowship. His correspondence does not state that trials and hardships will not come, but the activation of Christ's attitude in our lives can bring hope.

Philippians 2 share some of these with us:

Be like minded. Take time to still yourself and seek God's joy when times are hard. Jesus himself took time out to be still and wait on God's voice for comfort and guidance. Sounds like mindfulness to me.
Be humble and consider others interests before your self. Practicing humility and empathy for others.
Be grateful when caring for others as you have something to give and do it without complaining and arguing. Ever noticed the posture of those who focus on gratitude and how they can lift a conversation?

In verse 14, we are encouraged to 'shine like stars in the universe' by living differently so that others will notice. That is the kind of community that I want to be part of, one that practices gratitude, cultivates empathy and is mindful of each other. This is a community that shines!

The Staff Team have begun exploring some learning modules from 'be you', a Government initiative that supports educational learning community's to explore mental health and wellbeing. On Thursday, we started with looking at 'resilience' in regards to the social and emotional learning and development of the children who attend Curiosity.

I am forever humbled and grateful for the professional heart our team exhibits and their willingness to explore new learning and reflect on practice.

If you are interested in the abundance of resources that are available on topics such as child development, relationships, social and emotional learning and wellbeing, feel free to access these and more at the following link.

As a team, we are passionate about exploring more around what mentally healthy communities look like, and sharing this learning with you.

Thank you for partnering with us in your child's learning at Curiosity. If at anytime you are concerned about your child's social or emotional wellbeing, please be in contact with your child's Lead Educator so that they can walk this through with you.

Blessings to you and your families as we head into Week 4! Jacqui

Come & Play Fathers Day - August 30