Monday, January 31, 2011

BAREFOOT EVENT - BULLYING

Come along and find out more about how children, parents, teachers and the wider
community can recognise, understand and combat bullying. 
Artwork copyright by Janet Wolf 2011


Presented by Maree Stanley 

Wednesday 16th March, 2011
Eltham Community and Reception Centre, 801 Main Rd, Eltham
Doors open 7pm (limited parking)

7.30pm (prompt start) – 10.00pm

Tickets: $20/$15 conc. - includes light supper

RSVP by 11th March by emailing charlotte@barefootmagazine.com.au
Tickets must be paid for prior to event (paypal to your right of this page)

Other enquiries please call 0417509756.

ELTHAMBookshop will have books for sale on the night.

Maree Stanley is the Prevention Manager at The Alannah and Madeline Foundation
The Foundation’s mission is'keeping children safe from violence’. 
Maree developed the foundation’s prevention program and is an experienced and dynamic
speaker on the issue of bullying.

An Important Response

This is one reader's response to an article in our Winter 2010 Issue. Part of this letter is published in our Summer 2010 Issue. The full letter is here. Thanks Coby! (Sorry it's posted so late)

I have only just read your surrender article from your winter 2010 edition.
A very useful thing to bear in mind. I worked for many years at a maximum
security mens jail in NSW. A very unfortunate but common story repeated
itself.

Youngish men 18 plus are sent to prison having been found guilty of crimes
from manslaughter to multiple lesser offences. As they disembark the
transport inside the jail it becomes apparent that the first time in their
lives they are learning a lesson that is the most valuable you can teach and
repeatedly reaffirm to a child. That is cause and effect, consequences of
action.
One boy/man and many like him had a fist fight. An unlucky punch to the head
had the consequence of death. Either due to the positioning of the blow or a
ring or the person hitting their head on the ground.

It is a terrible consequence of our more recent moves away from smacking
children or punishing them that no alternative consequential result has
replaced it. I personally feel that it is a dreadful way to learn the
consequences lesson by being placed in a dangerous jail with very dangerous
people.

Boys push violent boundaries as you mention in your article but
unfortunately merely telling them to tap into a more understanding gentle
side is often not a consequences lesson. Each parent would know what a good
consequences lesson would be for their child but it certainly is a problem
if people don't react at all to behaviour that has its basis in violence.

I don't ever want to see a child smacked or punished for bad physical
behaviour with bad physical behaviour, but I also never want it not to be
taught to a child that guns stop life, punches kill and violence is always
punished after they have left our loving care.

One other story is common in relation to these boys. That is that most of
their mothers cannot believe this has happened and also believe that the
punishment is to harsh given that it was not the boys intention. But then
after the shock comes a steady stream on guilt that should they have known
they would have taught consequences lessons from the start.

As you asked for peoples thoughts and experiences I thought I would send you
mine. As a mother I was very aware of this lesson. Trying to stem the flow
of heavy rough and tumble with boys is difficult however, encouraging them
to see and treat their strength as a gift worked for me. He was taught that
using that energy to help to carry things, assist weaker ones, change bike
tyres, build go karts etc was the only way I could think of channeling
behaviour.

My most important lesson was from my mother who told me to travel by public
transport with him. She said we cocoon our kids in our cars and homes and
they never get to see real life, lessons and unpredictable behaviours until
they are alone.

She was right. On the bus was a mentally ill man who shouted and frightened
him, old ladies who were struggling with bags, seats that needed to be given
up, groups of teenage boys at the back shouting and showing off and
generally frightening and annoying everyone. Sitting next to the older
ladies allowed him to hear what they said in response to the boys behaviour.
How it frightened them etc.

My contribution to your question is to get parents out of their comfortable
zone with their boys and interpret the lessons as they go. Public transport
is a travelling world of life for parents and children. It provides a new
opportunity everytime with unpredictable situations arising. No one should
want their childrens first opportunity to see and work these lessons through
to be when they are alone. I always told him that when he stood at a bus
stop he should always say good day to the oldest ladies there. Simply put
because as a bigger boy and in a group they frighten old people. They are
however blind to that. My question to all parents of boys is do they want
them to be someone who frightens old ladies? Learns consequences only as
they get off a prison transport bus or learn that no matter how strong you
are there will always be many more stronger, but it is possible always to be
the kindest. Far less competition lies in the kindness stakes. Plus good
kind men get far better girlfriends.

We are now able to cocoon our children far more than ever before and as a
result they are learning very valuable life lessons only when not in our
care. Boys push boundaries but they soon start to discover more when the
boundaries are created by different people and not just us. For your
information I asked the group of boys had they ever travelled on a bus with
their parents before starting going on their own. You won't be surprised to
hear the answer was no.

Coby

Celebratory Book Launch

From Kinglake to Kabul
edited by Neil Grant and David Williams
published by Allen & Unwin


'In an extraordinary journey across cultural boundaries, these teenage writers emerge out of tragedy and trauma with stories of great beauty, power and empathy. Their work provides a model for writing projects that reach out for mutual understanding in a
divided world.' Arnold Zable

‘As long as we are still alive, we can have everything later, we can start from scratch.’ My Nguyen, Kinglake

'After twenty-five years, my father and uncle have moved back to Afghanistan. My father says, "You are going to build this country again."' Shaheer, Kabul

In this collection of young people’s writing, students from two vastly different countries share their stories of resilience, courage and hope. In doing so they illustrate the
remarkable healing quality of words and illuminate what connects us as humans. This is
not a book of remembrance or a book that desires to shock, it is a book about what is
best about human nature.

When: Sunday 13th February 2011 at 3pm
Where: Kinglake Rebuilding and Advisory Centre and Community Facility
2970 Heidelberg-Kinglake Road, Kinglake.
Bookings essential: elthambookshop@bigpond.com Tel. : 9439 8700

abc features the book here

Australian Parenting Conference 2011


AUSTRALIAN PARENTING CONFERENCE is proud to offer Barefoot Subscribers a 10% discount!

We invite you to register for the upcoming Australian Parenting Conference being held at the Parkside Auditorium, Darling Harbour, Sydney on the 24 and 25 February 2011.




 Full details, programme, and registration details are available here.

The topics for this event include
  • parenting interactions within a book reading context,
  • positive parenting,
  • discipline,
  • adolescence, 
  • attachment,
  • abuse,
  • parenting in divorce and separation,
  • parenting children with autistic disorders, 
  • mindful parenting
  •  and more...

All subscribers to Barefoot Magazine are to receive a 10% discount please indicate this when registering.