We think we can all agree that it doesn’t matter how many years ago you left education, we still get that same uneasy feeling of nervousness and excitement every year around this time - but why is that?

Well, for around 14 years and beyond, every September we pushed our vulnerable selves into a new situation, a new group of people and a new year of unknowns.

Sometimes it went well, sometimes it really didn't, and sometimes we may have encountered life-changing friendship shifts.

This was bound to have a lasting effect on us.

September is a bit like the start of a New Year for parents.
New routines.
New commitments.
But with out the pressure of keeping to New Year resolutions. 

We’ve pulled together some useful resources below to help make this time a little easier for the young people around us and give us some resources to use to support them. 

WATCH

The Worry Tree

What if no one talks to me?
Will they still be my friend?
What if I don’t get to sit next...

This week is Children's Mental Health Awareness Week. 

What practical steps and ground work can we do as parents and teachers to help our children have good mental health and prioritise this as much as we do physical health? 

1. A little bit of routine 

HOW can routines help our anxiety?

As adults make lots of decisions every day but so do our kids, especially teens.

What to wear, what to eat, what to do for the day, what piece of work to finish first.

If you have too many decisions to make, this can increase your anxiety.

Try having some "certainty anchors” built into your day.

These are things that make parts of our day solid, anchored and unchanged. 

If you take time away from the need for a decision this can reduce the anxiety. 

Bring some routine into your day, a little bit.

Build routine into your morning and evening and then you can be more fluid during the day to do your school work. 

Decide what you are going to wear, what work you...

This month we are introducing a slightly different newsletter and blog post to go alongside the popular WFRDB (Watch. Follow. Read. Do. Buy.)

Remember, If you want to receive our newsletters automatically, sign up via the link on our website and we will plant a tree as well as making sure you get a jam packed newsletter every month. 

This is a bit of a behind-the-scenes round-up of the goings on at HOW HQ. Because someone recently asked us 'What are you up to at the moment?' and we realised sometimes it isn't always obvious from our current newsletter. 

So, this is a snapshot of what we are up to.

The main projects we are working on with links on how to get involved or how to sign up.

This week we have 4 things we'd like to tell you about:

1. Mindset and Mindflex Workshop for girls 11-16 years old: Monday 13th June 7pm

Last week, we attended TEDx Swansea and one of the speakers said… "Wouldn’t it be good if children were...

2 years ago today co-founder Dr Jo Watkins did her first ever live zoom/interview and about home schooling during lockdown.

This involved pulling a ridiculous face, itching her cheek, saying ‘Ummmm’ a lot and failing to remember to brush her hair… not much has changed then.

This was nothing to do with HOW but Jo was getting asked a lot about education at the beginning of the pandemic having home schooled her own kids for a period of time

At that time, in terms of HOW, we had

- Cancelled all our live events and surf sessions with Gwen Spurlock
- Had no functioning website
- Software that we couldn’t navigate confidently
- No course
- No membership
- No online presence to speak of
- We had not interviewed any speakers
- We had not done any live sessions with the girls
- We had not done any collaborations other than surf locally and one talks night

Our current business model was not even thought up yet.

It would be great to quantify what we’ve done since.

...

Changing schools.

Starting a new club.

Volunteering .

Going to university for the first time.

A new job.

A month of work experience.

Eeeek.

We totally get it.

Doing something new.

Doing something different.

This makes everyone feel a little bit uncomfortable.

There aren’t many people who relish that idea of doing something new without feeling a tiny smidge of discomfort and anxiety.

Our confidence is drawn from evidence of the things we’ve been able to do or achieve in the past. Once you have done something once or twice you are more sure you can do it again.

To do something we haven’t done before, we need to draw on something else in our armoury.

Self Confidence.

This is the part of us that makes us secure about ourselves and our abilities.

To know that we will do our best, turn up with a smile and have a go.

This week we are going to be sharing our top tips and ways to deal with these situations that we will all find ourselves in at some point.

#doingsomethingnew...

*THE EDGE* (Trigger warning)

Written by psychotherapist Joanna Williams 

Ever write a post and think maybe it's a bit heavy? If it helps just one person. It's worth it!

Here goes..

Have you ever found yourself drawn to the edge.

A strange mix of "If I.. could I.. will I"

That obscure feeling of appeal and allure that can start to feel inviting..

No, I don't mean with harness and rope or rigged to a wing.. I mean standing there. Facing your own mortal mind that wants you to step off...

If you haven't I hope you don't!

And if you have?

I want you to know that it's not as uncommon or strange as it might seem. You haven't gone crazy or mad! Life can feel exhausting. The battles we fight in our mind can feel Intoxicating; overwhelming, convincing...

Suicidal thoughts are common.

But there is an alternative exit strategy..

One which I hope helps just one person to get back on the path to life!

Those feelings and urges, as convincing as they might be, are transient, changeable and...

Are you worried about your kids?

Join the club.
Grab some paper and a pen and jot down 3 vertical columns.

Column one

Write down what's worrying you.
Specifics please, no waffle…

Column two

For now leave blank.

Column three

Write down what it is you want to be better.

So, what does it look like when it’s fixed? Or, if you achieved everything in this column as you’ve written it, would you be calm and happy again? 

Done?

Go back to your 2nd column.

This is your to do list.

What is in your control to do something about it to solve it?

What can you do today, now, that gets you there?

Written by our great friend and business mentor and mum of three teenagers, Amanda Morgan Thomas. Amanda offers coaching and consultancy to individuals and businesses and is a breath of fresh air. Thank you Amanda. Click here for full details

The HOW People
www.thehowpeople.com

The HOW People inspire the next generation of awesome humans in a digital world. Workshops, courses,...

You asked, we listened. 

Listening is a skill.

You asked us two questions.

1. Why our ‘Moving on up’ course is only for girls?
2. I can’t make the live sessions. Will they be recorded?

Answer 1: We were wrong. And here’s why.

‘HOW Inspire’ is our signature digital membership for teen girls only. We hold a safe space for young women to come and be themselves at an age when everything is changing. They can talk openly about their changing bodies, hormones, friendship, anxieties, navigating social media and relationships whilst meeting amazing role models and forming an awesome community along the way. Sometimes, this is best done with just us girls to discuss. It’s a weekly call with videos on: an open community of awesome teens. Inspiring, exciting, safe.

‘Moving on up’ is NEW!

Maybe we got a bit stuck in our ways.
Maybe a bit stuck in our comfort zone.

‘Moving on up’ is recorded and with no cameras on for attendees...

WE LOVE THE SEA!
Swimming in it, exploring it and, most of all, protecting it.
So, with National Marine Week at the beginning of August and so many of you hopefully enjoying everything the coast has to offer this summer, our WFRDB this month celebrates one of the most important elements on our planet. 

WATCH

There is something incredibly healing about spending time in the sea and Jamaican surfer Imani Wilmot uses surfing as a way to transform the tough lives of the women around her by helping them to avoid a life of violence and crime. Surf Girl Jamaica highlights her aim to develop self-motivation, a sense of community and respect for the environment whilst also inspiring girls of colour from all over the world to see that they have a place in the surf industry. This film (directed by the brilliant Joya and Lucy from The Right to Roam centres on the first all-female surfing competition in Jamaica. 

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@mcs_uk

Keep up to date on everything that the...

What’s the link between snorkelling, an online course and starting secondary school?

Doing something that scares you!

Yes, snorkelling used to scare me.

Doing something different is scary.

Signing up for an online course can feel scary.

Going up to senior school is also a bit scary even for parents!

Some kids are naturally super excited, others daunted and nervous.

It is a big change.

A change that we can help navigate.

Do you want to help your daughter flourish and thrive whilst navigating the big jump from Year 6 to Year 7.

 Does it keep you up at night thinking of all the pitfalls she may encounter along the way?

 Do you want to give you both the best possible start to Year 7 with information and support from several experts including a GP, a psychotherapist, teen mentors and an experienced Year 7 tutor?

 We have something that will really help.

‘Moving on up’ is a NEW online course designed especially for girls going into senior school…...