Tuesday, Nov.29th

Please complete your Gratitude Journal #6 and submit on www.turnitin.com (due: Sunday at midnight if you do no finish)

Please use the rest of the period to work on your research project on Challenges for Families.

Also, a reminder that your folders are due Thursday (I changed the date, D block) and your Stress Quiz on your "Coping with Transition" notes is also on Thursday.

Midterm Folder Assignments -- Due: Wed. Nov.30th

 Sept 7: Creating a Safe and Welcoming Enviro
 Sept 7: Canada's evolving definition of the family (abstract)
Sept 14: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs worksheet
Sept 14: Personal Hierarchy
Sept 16: Who's in what stage of the Family Life Cycle
Sept. 16: Family Sketch
 Sept      Self Esteem High and Low
Sept 20: Adler's Birth Order theory (just chart)
Sept 26: How My Family Makes a Positive Difference
Sept 27: Ways for families to connect (Reality Constraints -- long sheet)
Oct. 3: Issue Analysis -- Davis Inlet
Oct. 11: Botshabelo Fundraiser
Oct. 11 Angels in the Dust questions
Oct. 17: Defining You and Iceberg
Oct. 17: Preserving Culture
Oct. 24: Desert Flower Response
Nov. 13: Stress booklet
Nov. 13: Five Senses (Minfulness sheet when we went outside)
Nov. 13: Something More (Raisin Mindfulness Debriefing)
Nov. 21: Chat Stations
Nov. ??: Tapping Activity Debriefing
Nov ??: TED Talks Meditation
***I will allow you to miss one folder response (if one is missing, you can still get 100%)

Challenges for Families Research Project

Family Living 621                                                                                                                 Research Project and Presentation

Solutions for Challenges of Family Life

Families are the basic foundation of our complex and diverse societies. The family unit is interconnected with the fabric of our society, and it is the means in which we pass on our culture. Our individual well-being is very much related to the strength of our family life, as families are the basis from which we are socialized and educated. Social institutions, including government and non-government agencies aid families who struggle with the many challenges of family life. Healthy families are important to our government, but to society as a whole.

Your task for this project is to choose a particular topic that is related to families, and examine how that topic presents challenges for families. Examine the topic from multiple research sources and methods (articles, websites, statistics, surveys, books, interviews, videos, etc.).  A minimum of five sources must be used for this project.

Include the following in your research project:

Part A) Researching the Issue

·         Describe the family life topic, the associated challenges, and the prevalence of this challenge in society

o    What is it, who is involved, where is it happening most, and what are the trends over time?

o    Analyze how this topic leads to challenges for families

§  This section should include the use of at least five statistics

Part B) Suggesting Solutions for these Challenges

·         Evaluate current examples of societal actions taken to address the challenges with this topic. Explain to what extent those actions are useful, and make recommendations on how they  could they be improved.

·         Propose how the challenges of this topic could be improved through specific actions by the government (consider laws, policies, public education, etc.)

·         Suggest ways that individuals could help to decrease the challenges associated with this topic.

Part C) Making connections to a case study

·         Read a relevant fiction or non-fiction book, watch a relevant feature film or documentary, or interview a relevant person of your choice

o    Describe how your case study relates to the presentation topic

o    Describe how the person/people in your case study demonstrates the challenges associated with this topic

o    Explain what you can learn on this topic by examining this case study

Part D) Creating Journal Prompt

·         For each presentation, a journal response will be required from the peer audience. Create a journal prompt for your group presentation (1-2 questions), that your peers will answer at the end of your presentation. 

Mindfulness Resources

Resources for Mindfulness

The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time, by Dzung Vo MD (New Harbinger, 2015), is a mindfulness book for teens, with mindfulness instructions, guided meditations, examples, and youth voices. Click here to learn more about The Mindful Teen.

Here are some more useful resources for mindful teens: 

Mobile Apps

Stop, Breathe, and Think: Free web and mobile app for youth, with meditations for mindfulness and compassion

Calm.com: Free website and mobile app with guided meditation and relaxation exercises

Insight Timer: Free mobile app with virtual “bells” to time and support your meditations

MindShift: Free mobile app for teens developed by AnxietyBC, with mindfulness and other coping skills for anxiety

Smiling Mind: Free mobile mindfulness app for young people, from Australia

Headspace: “Meditation made simple.” This app has a free introductory period, after which it requires a paid subscription to continue to use.

Breathr: This mindfulness app for youth is currently in development by the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre (British Columbia, Canada). Dr. Vo is consulting on the development of this app. Learn more here, and stay tuned!

Mindfulness Books for Teens

Gina M. Biegel, The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to Help You Deal with Stress (Instant Help Books, 2009)

Joseph V. Ciarrochi, Louise Hayes, and Ann Bailey, Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens: A Guide to Living an Extraordinary Life (Instant Help, 2012)

Mark C. Purcell and Jason R. Murphy, Mindfulness for Teen Anger: A Workbook to Overcome Anger and Aggression Using MBSR and DBT Skills (Instant Help, 2014)

Christopher Willard, Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety: A Workbook for Overcoming Anxiety at Home, at School, and Everywhere Else (Instant Help, 2014)

Christopher Willard and Mitch Abblett, Growing Mindful: A Deck of Mindfulness Practices for All Ages (Growing Mindful Games, 2015). A deck of cards with short mindfulness practices to “cultivate mindfulness on the go.” Available here and here.

Guided Mindfulness Meditation Recordings

In addition to mindfulnessforteen.com’s free guided meditations, here are a few more recordings:

Amy Saltzman, MD, Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Teens (CD)

Gina Biegel, LMFT, Mindfulness for Teens: Meditation Practices to Reduce Stress and Promote Well-Being (CD, MP3)

Larry Rosen, MD. “The Buddha and the Fig Tree.” (CD, MP3)

Mindful.org’s “Audio Resources for Guided Meditations” collection: Online, free guided meditations.