BETTER LIVING
Its Got To Change
BY NADINE HICKMAN
SUPPLIED
Mental wellbeing must become a priority in
educati on, on par with maths, english and
science. What is the use of these kids knowing
Pythagoras if they’re killing themselves! But
the programme needs to be teen-focused,
which requires developing it in collaborati on
with teens. It should be so dynamic, engaging
and uplift ing that it’s their favourite subject
in the school day, not something they roll
their eyes at and drag themselves along to
moaning and groaning. It can’t be developed
by an “expert” sitti ng in an offi ce completely
out of touch with today’s teens. We need to
get in there amongst teens to fi nd out - what
is it that’s going to ring their bells? If this
sounds idealisti c, it is. But why not strive for
an ideal world, why would we want to sett le
for anything less? It won’t be easy, but there’s
a way to get through to these kids and it’s my
mission to connect the people, the resources,
and the dollars to fi nd it.
I can’t get my head around NZ’s suicide
stati sti cs, especially teen suicide. What
worries me is the bigger picture because for
every suicide there are thousands more who
have either thought about or att empted to
take their own life, or who are living with
anxiety, depression, sadness on a daily basis.
“I’m determined to insti gate change and create a happier world for my kids and others to become
teenagers in.”
Its Got To Change.
These kids are our future leaders! We need
them to be their most secure, happy selves.
If this is achieved, there are so many other
issues that will take care of themselves
eg. bullying. No one who feels great about
themselves is going to treat other people
badly. The only reason for bringing another
human being down is an att empt to raise
yourself up. We (us adults) raised these
kids, it’s up to us to fi x this, so they can
successfully lead us into the future.
I look at my happy, bubbly, excited-by-
everything 7,9,11,and 13 year old kids and
think how devastati ng it would be to watch
them spiral down into depression, anxiety
and suicide. I’m not prepared to rest on my
laurels and hope that doesn’t happen to me
and my family and neither should anyone
else. This has gone beyond awareness,
we’re all aware now, by doing nothing we’re
actually making a conscious choice to bury
our heads in the sand.
We can’t conti nue to make small talk about
“how terrible this is”, or debate the causes
with the other mums at the school gate.
The fact is teens today are living in a very
challenging and oft en hosti le environment
and factors like the internet and social media
are not going anywhere. We must arm
them with hard hitti ng tools to cope and
thrive in 2020 and beyond. I have solid ideas
about how this can happen, but it will take
resources and a special team of people.
One Million Happy Thoughts.
One Million Happy Thoughts is about
kickstarti ng the momentum. It’s a way for a
community who wants to help to connect
directly with the problem. I’ve been working
with local graphic design company Vanilla
Hayes and seven talented NZ arti sts to design
a series of happy thought cards. This year’s
target is to sell one million of these happy
thoughts, which will raise $1 million dollars.
This amount of money won’t change the
world, but it will kickstart the momentum of
a very big vision. By the ti me you’re reading
this these happy thoughts will be on the print
press. I’d encourage everyone to take a look
at www.onemillionhappythoughts.org.nz to
fi nd out more about this project and engage
your support. Also follow us on social media
Facebook + Instagram
@onemillionhappythoughts.
Late last year, while I was immersed in a
nati onwide school fundraising project, I came
across a capti vati ng video on Facebook of
an American Inspirati onal Youth Speaker
David Flood. It really struck a cord with me,
and obviously others too, as the video had
48 million views. I could tell this man had
a special way of connecti ng with teens to
insti l values of kindness, dignity and respect.
I messaged David and invited him to come
and talk in NZ High Schools and he happily
accepted. Now to raise the money! Since
then the vision has widened, A LOT. Even
though the fi rst planned impact is bringing
David Flood to NZ, the big picture involves
establishing a ‘Dream Team’ to create a high
impact programme to be delivered in schools
as part of the New Zealand Curriculum.
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