Can meditation positively affect teenagers’ lives? Absolutely it can! Research in neuroscience and attention provides evidence that meditation strengthens the neural systems of the brain that are responsible for concentration and generating empathy. Becoming more mindful helps children and adolescents better regulate how life circumstances impact their mental health. I […]
Self-Awareness
For thousands of years, heroic stories have been used to inspire, motivate, and transfer cultural values to children. The stories have a common pattern. They begin with a likeable hero who encounters a challenge or roadblock in life. And then, with the help of others, the hero emerges from the […]
Resilience
Jake Bernstein, age 17, is a great example of how service-learning changes lives. In fact, in one of President Obama’s annual “Back-to-School” addresses, he praised three extraordinary high school students for giving back to their communities. One was Jake Bernstein. Jake volunteers with Autism Speaks and co-launched StLouisVolunteen.com with his […]
Empathy
How do children learn to care? How do they feel connected to their communities and know they can make a difference in the world? The answer isn’t as complex as it might seem. Like many college students who became committed to social and environmental causes, Danielle talked about developing compassion at a […]
Empathy
Meet Dorothy Law Nolte. She’s a woman who understood the field of positive youth development before it was invented. Born in 1924, Dorothy Law Nolte became a parent educator, family counselor, and writer known for her inspirational poem, Children Learn What They Live. First published in 1954, it was pasted […]
Compass-Inspired
