Wednesday, December 9, 2020

How to Deal With Stress?

 


  • Positive and negative stress
  • Relaxation
  • Movement
  • Don't run from problems
  • Healthy food
  • Adequate night's sleep

Stress is a response to a stimulus that causes tension.

Positive and negative stress

Stress can never be completely avoided and it doesn't have to be. After all, sometimes we are confronted with positive stress that ensures that we can perform in a motivating way. This is a temporary stress state that automatically disappears when the factor that caused us stress is removed.

However, when stress prevents us from functioning normally, it is negative stress. These concerns stress that also persists after the stressful situation.

The symptoms that can arise are tension, irritability, nervousness, fatigue. Ultimately, this can even lead to hair loss, insomnia, stabbing headaches, or general lethargy. We give you some tips on how to deal with negative stress better and how to handle stress-sensitive situations better.

Check out our events for stress help NZ

Relaxation

By choosing a good relaxation you can already reduce the risk of stress to a great extent. Everyone has their own way of relaxing, but make sure you don't let go of stress by opting for relaxation that fuels your stress sensitivity.

For example, it is not wise to get a breath of fresh air in a noisy disco or to opt for a very exciting football evening as a moment of rest. It is better to choose a hobby or activity that calms you down and takes your mind off the stressful situations.

Movement

Sport and yoga can provide a sufficient outlet. Do this on a regular basis. A frequency of approximately three times a week can be aimed for.

When you start exercising, it is very important to build up slowly and give your body time to get used to the movements. If you do not take this into account, the risk of injury is high.

Don't run from problems

Do not run away from your problems, but try to solve them as thoroughly as possible. Of course, this is not always self-evident, but letting problems drag on ensures that the pressure persists and therefore increases the stress even more. If you are stress about employment then must visit youth employment NZ

Healthy food

A healthy and balanced diet can reduce or even eliminate many stress factors.

Especially nutrients that contain magnesium can form an efficient buffer against all kinds of stress problems.

Fat-rich foods, such as meat and cheese dishes, as well as caffeine and sugars are to be avoided when you are sensitive to stress.

Adequate night's sleep

Get a good night's sleep. An average adult needs about eight hours of sleep per night.

Avoid using sedatives.

Never take tranquilizers on your own.

If problems persist, it is better to contact a doctor who can provide you with further medical assistance or provide you with more information.


Related post:

https://theyouthline.tumblr.com/post/638918419484459008/dealing-with-depression-10-tips-what-can-you-do

https://medium.com/@youthline/tips-how-to-deal-with-depression-yourself-1939452683ce

Friday, July 31, 2020

Youth organisations and youth programme

 Youth organisations are generally understood to be youth-led, non-profit, voluntary non-governmental associations, and under some circumstances, can instead be part of the state apparatus or be youth worker-led. They are mostly established to further the political, social, cultural, or economic goals of their members. This is done by implementing activities for young people and/or engaging in advocacy work to promote their cause. Typically, youth organisations focus on promoting and ensuring young people's democratic and social rights; encouraging their social and political participation at all levels in community life; and offering opportunities for personal and social development through leisure activities, voluntary engagement and non-formal and informal learning. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers mande a recommendation to member states on youth civil society in 1997.

Youth programmes are long-term projects or initiatives designed to support or provide activities for young people, or in some cases youth organisations. They are often based on youth work, non-formal education or youth volunteering. Youth programmes can operate at any level from local to international, and can be delivered by the state, by youth organisations or other NGOs. Examples of European level youth programmes include: EU’s Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, or Youth Guarantee; and the Council of Europe’s Roma Youth Action plan, and Human Rights Education Youth Programme.

Youth volunteering is a key dimension of many youth organisations and youth programmes. Many youth organisations are run exclusively by young volunteers, and many youth programmes encourage young people's involvement in voluntary activities. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers has made recommendations to member states on youth mobility and the promotion of voluntary service.

Key policy challenges include the shrinking space for youth civil society, and concerns about the lack of political recognition for youth organisations; promotion and funding of youth organisations, youth programmes youth work and youth volunteering generally, the involvement of unorganised young people, particularly in youth participation.

Read more: youth organisation nz

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

10 youth movements changing the worldchanging the world

 I think we’ve all heard, and probably been offended by, the phrase “youth is wasted on the young”, but does anyone know who said it, or indeed, why?

After it bugging me for the last few years I did a bit of research and it turns out no one is actually 100% sure. It’s has been attributed to both George Bernard Shaw (an Irish writer) and Oscar Wilde (an English one), but it turns out, neither of them ever said it fully and much like Gandhi’s “be the change you want to see in the world”, it’s a misquote, and one that is more often than not totally misused (the earliest reference I found is actually from a book published in the 1930’s which was a titled 10,000 Jokes, Toasts, & Stories)!

Seeing as it’s International Youth Day we decided to right this wrong, do some research and show the world just how amazing young people can be. Just look at these inspiring international youth movements that are having a major impact and changing the world for the better:

Global Youth Act
While not technically a movement itself, GYAN plays an important role as a clearinghouse for today’s youth movements! It is one of the largest networks of youth organizations ever created and connects youth-led and youth-serving organizations in more than 190 countries. It’s known for its role in increasing youth participation within the United Nations System. In 2001 GYAN merged with TakingITGlobal, an award winning “social network for social good” that carries out its motto to “inform, inspire, and involve” through digital youth engagement, social innovation and global education programs.

ONE Youth Ambassadors
ONE Youth Ambassadors are a dedicated team of volunteers who help electrify ONE’s campaigns across Europe. They lobby decision makers, work with the media to raise the profile of our campaigns, and encourage the public to sign petitions through online activity and local events! Thanks to their contribution millions of pounds/dollars/euros of funding has been allocated to help the world’s poorest get the services they need to lift themselves out of extreme poverty! Submissions for next years programme will open in January and application instructions will be posted here.

Sawa World
Sawa World believes there is a way to end extreme poverty for billions of people on our planet. The solution lies in the minds, hands and hearts of those who suffer it most.  They call them Sawa Leaders; unsung heroes who have themselves been among the one billion people living on one dollar a day or less. Their solutions are documented and shared by Sawa Youth Reporters – unemployed youth in their communities who are trained by local media partners to become community reporters. The Youth Reporters produce short videos and regular updates about the practical solutions and impact of Sawa Leaders and present them throughout their region and through local media. This allows other impoverished people to feel inspired and to replicate the solutions in their own communities!

Scouts
With over 40 million members from 223 countries around the world, the Scouts is the largest youth movement in the world. It is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people, open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed. Scouting offers young people the opportunity to develop their full emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible global citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities. There are National Scout Organizations all over the world. To become a youth member or an adult volunteer go here.

VSO – Voluntary Service Overseas
VSO is a predominantly youth lead organisation with a vision for a “world without poverty“. Its mission is to bring people from around the world together to fight poverty. VSO recruits students and professionals to work as volunteers, living and working alongside local populations in developing countries. Founded in 1958, VSO has so far sent over 50,000 volunteers to over 140 developing countries, doing important work and impacting thousands of lives! If you want to volunteer, sign-up here.


Saturday, May 30, 2020

The power of engaging young people in community organizing

Organizing around political or social issues is a holistic skill that enhances a person's critical lens, self-worth, leadership ability, and emotional and social intelligence. The more that young people are exposed to these values, the more likely they are to identify them as fundamental to a healthy society.

Nearly half—45 percent—of young people in the U.S. belong to low-income families, but poverty is just one of many structural barriers that inhibit the personal growth of young people. Racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ oppression, and cultural prejudices also put the lives of youth at risk.

However, because many of our social institutions lack cultural competency, youth are forced to choose between adopting ideals that either rationalize their difficulties and accept them, or challenge them.

Engaging youth in community organizing is an alternate means to address these difficulties. This is especially true within historically marginalized populations, whose vulnerability is intensified by systemic challenges.

How do youth who are excluded from educational or economic opportunities gain traction in adult society? If the failure of a social or political ideal is at work here, how can we identify it and begin to change it? A holistic approach to youth organizing is able to do just that.

In the AFSC Freedom School, using a curriculum developed and taught by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, we are able to hear from young people about the issues that impact their daily lives. We share our stories about institutional racism, self-determination, and building power to transform our group from young people seeking local change to young people building and maintaining a campaign to effect that change. Using small breakout groups, we identify the common experiences of the participating youth, and visualize different strategies that will address these experiences and place them within a broader social context.

The youth who attend Freedom School are then invited to build on their experience by becoming a part of Youth Undoing Institutional Racism (YUIR), putting them within a network of peer organizers who share the same analysis. Participants of Freedom School and YUIR take part in an interactive exchange of personal experiences, learn the fundamentals of organizing, and share in the accomplishments of other young organizers.

At a time when young people are capturing the political imagination of people of all ages, we seek to place this moment in its historical context, and to establish the value of youth participation in movements for social change.

Civic engagement through organizing is one way that young people can gain access to what institutional learning has threatened to take away from them. When young people become community organizers, they report an improved sense of confidence and purpose. They become more familiar with their community and gain confidence in defining their relationship to society. This is a fundamental step toward leadership in any field. With this renewed pride, and given the space to express themselves, they are more willing to apply their knowledge and passions in the world.

Youth who participate in organizing programs are reminded of their individual worth and the value of belonging to a community. Isolation is replaced by a sense of interconnectedness, and the question of "What can I do?" is replaced with the question of "What can we do?"

Youth organisation nz also strives to uplift the voices of young people as the leaders of today and tomorrow, not just a resource of the future, or a workforce to be developed. Rather, they are the engines of our society.

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Youth Programs During Pandemic Year

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on every aspect of our society, from schools to hospitals, to the economy, nothing has been left untouched.  Our youth and their families and communities continue to be at the forefront of the work that St. Stephen’s Youth Programs does each day.  While we navigate the new world around us, we are working diligently to strengthen the relationships with our families in a number of ways.  

In the first 48 hours following the suspension of our afterschool program beginning 3/16, our staff conducted a comprehensive needs assessment - via video chat or over the phone - reaching nearly 200 families, about 80% of those in our community.  Based on these results, we have identified and are mobilizing to meet these needs:


  • For our elementary and middle school students supporting online learning through loaning of Chromebooks and providing translation services for families and BPS teachers through our Parent Mentor program

  • Through online learning, providing academic support, tutoring enrichment such as virtual field trips to aquariums, literacy read alouds, and active time. 

  • Tor teens, we continue supporting our adult-teen mentoring pairs, advancing online SAT preparation and support for remote learning, professional development, social and emotional support. and fun times to gather for virtual connection

  • For alumni, we are helping them navigate the logistics and practical details of returning home, doing online learning and working through the emotional and financial impact of abruptly leaving their schools. 

  • We are also providing direct financial assistance in the form of gifts card to use at local supermarkets and modest cash grants ($125) to help pay bills; we anticipate making these cash awards every two weeks and have established a set of guidelines to help us make award determinations

  • For all of our employees, including our 40 teen staff, we are committed to paying and maintaining all relevant benefits, including health insurance, for our staff during the crisis.

B-READY LEARN & YLC
There is lots of coaching happening for students and parents in using Google Classroom and some of the other online tools for remote learning. A few of our most savvy staff even shared some tips with teachers. Individual check-ins and supports on the academic content are happening, too, and our plan is to get group chats and read-alouds and other fun, group online get-togethers with familiar faces started next week. 

PARENT ORGANIZING AND ENGAGEMENT 
Our parent engagement and organizing programs continue (almost) unabated. We just have moved online. We are continuing to have twice weekly English language classes (for beginners and intermediate), Citizenship classes (in partnership with Roxbury/Dorchester Power in Action), and Zumba classes! We are supporting families with material needs, such as money for food, and other supports, such as how to use Google Classroom (so they can help their children with online learning) and how to submit for unemployment benefits. 

Parents will be testifying next week at a virtual hearing with the Commonwealth’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to be sure that Boston Public Schools continue to get the financial support needed for high-quality education (and wrap-around services) to happen

Get more:


Saturday, March 28, 2020

What’s Claim Your Campus 2020 and How to Know if it’s Right for Your Youth Ministry

Picture a world where school shootings become part of our past. A world where suicide rates radically decline to nothing. Where bullying is replaced with supernatural peace, and loneliness is combated with unity. Where schools go from battlegrounds to sanctuaries. A world where students are no longer walking away from the Church but leading the way for its future.  Reference 

This is what will happen when we pray. This is what is happening when students gather to pray together in their middle and high schools. Claim Your Campus is a national movement that is sparking radical culture change through prayer. Students outside of our churches are being healed and made whole because they have met with Jesus in their schools. The grace, peace, justice, and mercy of God is sweeping through school campuses across the country because students are taking a stand. Something big is sparking. Students are leading the way.

But they need your help. 

How we advocate for this generation determines how we impact them.
God is calling every adult – leaders, pastors, teachers, coaches, parents, and YOU – to invite students into a future where they are leading the way for positive change through prayer. God is asking adults to advocate for a better future for students, schools, and the world. This generation needs a moment to make their voice heard. 

Read more: youth groups

Claim Your Campus 2020 is a moment to mobilize a movement of student-led prayer. We’re inviting 100,000 middle and high school students to join us in Kansas City, Kansas on July 3-5, 2020 as we pray for change across America. 

If you’ve got middle or high school students who want to see change in our world, they need to be there – and so do you. Claim Your Campus 2020 will be a moment for students to be mobilized with passion and resources to see change in their schools in three tangible ways: 


Prayer: Empower students to pray at their schools 

Care: Engage students to care through tangible action

Share: Equip students to verbally share Christ’s love

Do not let your students miss this moment. Do not miss the opportunity to advocate for them. Do not pass up the chance to make history. Stand with us and see the trajectory of our nation shift as we gather together to pray for change. 

For more inforemation:

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Youth movements changing the world

I think we’ve all heard, and probably been offended by, the phrase “youth is wasted on the young”, but does anyone know who said it, or indeed, why?

After it bugging me for the last few years I did a bit of research and it turns out no one is actually 100% sure. It’s has been attributed to both George Bernard Shaw (an Irish writer) and Oscar Wilde (an English one), but it turns out, neither of them ever said it fully and much like Gandhi’s “be the change you want to see in the world”, it’s a misquote, and one that is more often than not totally misused (the earliest reference I found is actually from a book published in the 1930’s which was a titled 10,000 Jokes, Toasts, & Stories)!

Seeing as it’s International Youth Day we decided to right this wrong, do some research and show the world just how amazing young people can be. Just look at these inspiring international youth movements that are having a major impact and changing the world for the better:

Global Youth Action Network
While not technically a movement itself, GYAN plays an important role as a clearinghouse for today’s youth movements! It is one of the largest networks of youth organizations ever created and connects youth-led and youth-serving organizations in more than 190 countries. It’s known for its role in increasing youth participation within the United Nations System. In 2001 GYAN merged with TakingITGlobal, an award winning “social network for social good” that carries out its motto to “inform, inspire, and involve” through digital youth engagement, social innovation and global education programs.

ONE Youth Ambassadors
ONE Youth Ambassadors are a dedicated team of volunteers who help electrify ONE’s campaigns across Europe. They lobby decision makers, work with the media to raise the profile of our campaigns, and encourage the public to sign petitions through online activity and local events! Thanks to their contribution millions of pounds/dollars/euros of funding has been allocated to help the world’s poorest get the services they need to lift themselves out of extreme poverty! Submissions for next years programme will open in January and application instructions will be posted here.

Sawa World
Sawa World believes there is a way to end extreme poverty for billions of people on our planet. The solution lies in the minds, hands and hearts of those who suffer it most.  They call them Sawa Leaders; unsung heroes who have themselves been among the one billion people living on one dollar a day or less. Their solutions are documented and shared by Sawa Youth Reporters – unemployed youth in their communities who are trained by local media partners to become community reporters. The Youth Reporters produce short videos and regular updates about the practical solutions and impact of Sawa Leaders and present them throughout their region and through local media. This allows other impoverished people to feel inspired and to replicate the solutions in their own communities!

Scouts
With over 40 million members from 223 countries around the world, the Scouts is the largest youth movement in the world. It is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people, open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed. Scouting offers young people the opportunity to develop their full emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible global citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities. There are National Scout Organizations all over the world. To become a youth member or an adult volunteer go here.



Friday, January 31, 2020

8 tips for organizing the best house party ever

Do you have something to celebrate and do you prefer to enjoy it at home? Quite right! Life is expensive enough and actually it is just very nice to have all your friends at your home. These are often the nicest and most memorable evenings! To help you on your way a bit, we give a number of tips that make organizing a house party a breeze.

Consider this as your checklist to make sure that you don't forget anything and to get some ideas!

Organize a house party: you must take this into account
1. The invitation to the party
The party starts with the invitation. You can of course invite everyone personally, but then you make keeping up the 'guest list' complicated.

The simplest way is of course to create a Facebook event, but there are also disadvantages: not everyone has (yet) Facebook and, personally, such an invitation is not. So think carefully about how you want to invite your guests.

2. What is the party budget?
It is important to think in advance how much money you want and can spend on the party. First think about how many people you invite and also think about how much an average guest drinks and what everyone else drinks. Are you going for a low budget? Then buy wine, beer and soft drinks (keep an eye on offers). Report this to your guests in advance, because if someone drinks something else, he or she can always bring it themselves.

3. Decorations
This is the best part of organizing a home party! But before you get started, you must ask a few questions. What is the occasion? Are you just celebrating life or has someone had a birthday or is it Halloween ? Do you choose a theme? You can adjust the decorations to that.

4. Drinks and snacks
Chances are that you do not have enough glasses to provide everyone with a drink. No worries, there are plenty of companies where you can rent crockery and the great thing is that you don't have to wash those glasses. You can just rinse them, put them back in the crate and return them.

Snacks are also important to think about. Pizza points are always a success, but do you want to take a more culinary approach? Check out this article from our sister Culy: 42 recipes for a table full of healthy snacks .

5. Music during your house party
A party without music is .. not a party. Apart from the company, this is perhaps the most important thing of the evening. So make sure you have a nice playlist and good speakers. Do you not have a good sound system yourself? Chances are that one of your friends will.

Is there a musical talent in your group of friends? Ask him or her to have something heard that evening. That makes the evening more special and then you know for sure that everyone will remember the evening months later. Perhaps you even know how to get someone to play records at your party. Again: do you have a large budget? Then you can of course also think of hiring musicians, bands or DJs.

6. The layout of your party
If you invite a lot of people and don't have such a big house, chances are you have to make room for everyone. We are always in favor of a standing party. As soon as everyone sits down, the atmosphere seems to collapse a bit and especially if you have a nice playlist, you don't really want people to sit down, do you? After all, it is a party and you can dance.

For example, move the dining table to the side and use it as a bar. Put the dining room chairs temporarily in another room. You do not have to move the sofa and armchairs; a few seats are okay. Also make sure that everyone can put their jacket somewhere. You don't want that in the party room, but probably in bed in the bedroom.

7. The neighbors
Do you have a good music installation? Great, but it will probably make your neighbors less happy. That is of course no reason not to let the party go on, but it is so social to inform them about this. Do this well in advance (at least two weeks) so that your neighbors can take this into account.

Maybe they want a night out or a weekend away! Then this is a great moment for them to make that decision. Therefore inform the neighbors with a note in the letterbox and state immediately what time you think the party will last. Or just invite them! The more souls the more joy, right?

8. The day after
You may not want to think about it for a while, but it is handy to think about it that you are in the house with junk (and a hangover) the next morning. Depending on your budget, you can choose a cleaner, who cleans everything the next morning, but you can of course patch everything up yourself. In this article we help you to clean up the gang.

Read more: youth programs nz