The Villager October 2019
Funding for schools continues into 2020!!!!! Book winter/spring dates for 2019-20 school year now Student days, parent sessions, and P.D. Days. Vaping Due to the recent medical issues that have arisen in the media both in the US and Canada I have moved the information about vaping from my session, “The Truth About Cannabis and […]
The Villager May 2019
DON’T WAIT!!!!! Book dates for 2019-20 school year now Student days, parent sessions, and P.D. Days. Blended Families / Step Parents Over a number of years I have come in contact with many adults whom have remarried, where both adults bring children together or where only one adult had children before the marriage. On […]
Villager February 2019
Legalization and the sky is not falling……..YET!!!!! It was the Canadian Medical Assoc. Journal that stated the legalization of Cannabis in Canada is a, “National, uncontrolled experiment” that pits the profits of cannabis producers and government tax revenues against the health of Canadians. The analogy I have been using with legalization is, “It is like […]
The Villager November 2018
Children, their parents and suicide…. There is a trend which I am witnessing, and that is when a child comes forward with their thoughts of suicide the last thing they want is for their parents to find out. As we know, legally this is not an option, and the parents are notified. The reason youth […]
Stress, depression and anxiety
I am attending more and more schools where a high percentage of students are struggling with anxiety and depression. A couple of years ago I shared the study from Duke University and I think it warrants looking at it again. Before I share that research, as parents we need to be aware of how much […]
Divorce …….
The Villager Great news!!!! I would like to introduce Sheryl Hawkins to you. Last year a new program was launched for Grade 4 – 6 or 7 students called, “T.H.I.N.K. Day.” It is a softer version of, “Life’s Challenges in Secondary School” – Part 1. This was developed based on feedback from school administrators indicating […]
November 2017
The Villager Are you and your teens due for a “Digital Detox”? This summer I traveled down to Southern Utah for a month of camping and work. I was on course for most of the month, “Golf Course” that is. The last week of my time in Utah my 15 year old daughter joined me […]
Parents Afraid to Parent?
As parents are we afraid to parent? There seems to be a continuing trend over the past few years, the trend being, parents are afraid to parent. Many parents come up to me after a parent session and thank me for confirming that they are doing a good job with their children. I still work […]
Does “Life Synergy for Youth” really work?
This is a question that was put forward in the February 2016 edition of “The Villager”. At that time I had just returned from spending three amazing days with Dr. Shelley Hymel from UBC, where we collectively finished developing five surveys aimed at student, staff and parent perspectives. This was created in order for me […]
Fall Edition 2016
Penn State – Is “Life Synergy for Youth” powerful and impactful after Grade 12? Over the course of almost 20 years presenting to Canadian high schools, I have received e-mails of gratitude from several students that are now in university or in the workplace. Some have been e-mailed up to eight years after graduation, comments […]
Marijuana Legalization in Canada
Marijuana Legalization in Canada – Colorado and Washington: In November, 2015, I had the opportunity to travel to the state of Colorado, which has legalized marijuana. During this time I had the opportunity to talk to school officials and school resource officers (SRO) regarding the effects of this legalization. Come January I had another opportunity […]
Exploring the Connection Between Self-harm and Suicide
Does “Life Synergy for Youth” really work? Have you ever been focused on one thing and receive much more than you expected? Well this happened to me this January. You might remember from the December edition of The Villager, I mentioned that I was travelling to Vancouver to meet with Dr. Shelley Hymel from UBC, […]
Where were you on April 20, 1999?
With Christmas just around the corner, many of us will take some time to reflect upon past years and the year that is about to become history. I had such an opportunity as I drove 17 hours to a conference in Denver, Colorado this November. In 2001, being the organizer of a conference, I had […]