TEST
TEST page for sub to WHO I HELP which is currently called consulting
Creating and enacting solutions for allowing 21st century kids to thrive
Cross Cultural Families
The world is global on a macro scale – but also on a micro one. Case in point: The number of cross-cultural families is on the rise in Europe and in the United States. The kids born from these cross-cultural unions have unique challenges as they navigate through differing sets of assumptions, and attempt to find their own identity. At the same time, they also have amazing opportunities to learn about flexibility and diversity — and they can be ambassadors for cross-cultural competence and global awareness.
Ubiquitous Screens
For adults and kids alike, screens can, and do, permeate almost every moment of our day and aspect of our lives. A recent survey from Common Sense Media shows that kids pick up their phones an average of 72 times per day. How does growing up with digital screens dominating their day affect how kids develop and how they learn?
Raising Digital Kids
Two out of three parents in the U.S. say that parenting is harder today than it was 20 years ago – and many cite technology as a main reason for that (PEW research). The ubiquity of digital technologies presents parents and educators with a whole new set of possibilities and worries. And a whole new set of decisions: will I let my baby use a tablet? When should I get my kid a smartphone and what apps can I let them use? How do I help them make good choices online, how much do I monitor their use of social media? And whose responsibility is it anyway to make sure that kids are safe and healthy in digital spaces?
Mindful
21st century childhood is intense. Mindful represents two ideas: a proposed solution to the intensity of 21st century childhood, and the growing awareness of the importance of emotional intelligence.
Global interacts with Digital interacts with Mindful
Everything, of course, is intertwined.
One reason we’re more global is because of the digital technologies that allow us to be connected to people across the world in ways we never were before. Now that we are connected with more diverse people, and interacting with others through screens, being mindful about developing emotional intelligence skills is even more important.
Digital technologies bring us together. But they also make much of what we do more public. For many that may come with the feeling that everyone, globally, is watching (sometimes in judgement), and that there are impossible standards that need to be met in order to be successful. This is yet another reason to be mindful of the whole system – and to rely on strong social emotional skills for our own wellbeing and maintain healthy connections and interactions with others.
What is our role? Action steps
So what can we do to help kids through this global digital mindful era? Whether you’re a parent, an educator, a tech designer, a policy maker, or an advocate for kids’ well-being, we all have a role to play. Whole of society problems need whole of society solutions.
The responsibility is on us. To know when to step in and when to step back. Here’s just the start of what we can do:
- Raise kids mindfully
- Weave 21st century concepts into school curricula
- Encourage critical thinking, global mindedness, teamwork
- Educate the adults and communities that support kids (such as parents, teachers, policy makers) on 21st century childhood issues
- Educate kids about tech and help guide them to be digitally savvy
- Create media and tech responsibly and mindfully (with intention)
- Create policies that support 21st century kids and families
- Conduct and disseminate research to discover more about the current state and experiences of 21st century kids and families, and to inform decisions about how to support them
- Raise awareness about the challenges and the triumphs of 21st century childhood.
- Spread the word!
Work with parents
- Combine tradition, contemporary research, empathy, common sense, reality, and a keen sense of the realities of 21st century childhood to:
- Help tone down the intensity of parenting 21st century kids
- Guide parents towards being the best they can be
- Work with parents on solutions for traditional parenting struggles like temper tantrums or discipline strategies
- And help parents develop solutions for 21st century challenges such as cross-cultural frustrations, or managing digital lives
- Parent with mindfulness (less intensity, more intentionally and awareness), and parent for mindfulness (nurture and cultivate emotional intelligence in the family)
Work with companies
Consultation Services to develop thoughtful, responsible products.
- Work with ed tech and kids’ media companies to create high quality, safe digital spaces
- Insert mindfulness (as in intentionality, awareness) into the product design process
- Create tech for global audiences
- Engage parents in the process
Work with organizations
Advisory and educational services for policy, schools, non profits, and research.
- Conduct research on issues that affect 21st century families
- Make research findings accessible to wide audiences.
- Advocate for kids’ and families well-being through policy and education
- Increase public awareness of the 21st century issues for kids and families.
- Create and enact solutions, policies, guidelines, school curricula, workshops, research projects, and more that are globally aware, tech responsible, and inherently mindful.
Interested in joining the movement?
We’d love to chat with you. Get in touch to see how we can work together!
Based in Europe and virtually serving clients around the world!
Get in touch to join the movement.
