January 23, 2008 - 4:34am
Are today’s children too safe for their own good?
Internationally renowned resilience expert Dr. Michael Ungar thinks so, and he wants to share information and strategies with parents and others on how to help children and teens thrive.
Ungar will deliver a public presentation based on his book, “Too Safe for Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Our Children and Teens Thrive” on Tuesday, February 12, at Nanaimo District Secondary Community School, 7 to 9 pm.
“As a social worker and family therapist, I’ve become concerned that we may be keeping children and teenagers too safe for their own good,” said Ungar. “If we adults think back to when we were young, didn’t the risks we take and the responsibilities we had help prepare us for the challenges we would face later in our lives?”
Ungar’s book talks about how to help young people become successful adults who make positive contributions to families, communities and society.
“Dr. Ungar has written an exciting, timely, and important book that significantly advances understanding of the bases of resilience and health among diverse children around the globe,” said adolescent psychologist Dr. Richard Lerner. “He provides an innovative and insightful conception of the central role that risk and responsibility play in enabling young people to thrive and become successful adults.”
Dr. Ungar has worked for over 20 years as a Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist with children and families in child welfare, mental health, education and correctional settings. He is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and six books for parents, educators and helping professionals.
Now a Professor at the School of Social Work, at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Dr. Ungar is also the Director of the International Resilience Project and leads a team that spans eleven countries on five continents, including researchers at Malaspina University-College.
“Nanaimo is one of a number of worldwide sites for the International Resilience Project,” explained Malaspina psychology professor Dr. Caroline Burnley, co-coordinator of Malaspina’s Resilience Research Lab at the Nanaimo campus.
As part of the international project, Burnley, psychology professor Ruth Kirson and Malaspina undergraduate students will lead a local study on resilience in Nanaimo. Within the next few months, these Malaspina researchers will survey youth and adults over 19 with the hope of gaining a better understanding of what it means to be resilient in this community.
“Resilience is defined as overcoming adversity,” explained Burnley. “Adversity could include all manner of issues, including divorce and separation, drug abuse, problems with peers, parenting issues, difficulties in school, etc.
“We want to know how youth and adults successfully overcome adversities and explore what support services are available locally to help them. We also plan to examine characteristics of families and individuals who have overcome adversities.”
Kirson said it is important to study and understand resilience in terms of creating and implementing preventative programs and interventions to support children and adults over 19 who face difficult challenges.
“Two children may face the same challenge, yet one overcomes the adversity and one doesn’t,” Kirson said. “The question becomes why? Past research has focused primarily on the child, yet Dr. Ungar and others believe answers lie in looking carefully at the contributions of the family unit, and community as well as individual characteristics to truly understand what makes people resilient.”
Ungar’s presentation (February 12, 7 to 9 pm at Nanaimo District Secondary Community School) is open to everyone. Admission is $10 and tickets are available at Malaspina bookstore, Campbell and Fairweather Psychology Group or at the door.
The event is sponsored by Malaspina University-College Resilience Research Lab, Campbell and Fairweather Psychology Group and Nanaimo District Secondary Community School. For ticket information, call (250) 740-6157 or email resilence@viu.ca
Tags: In the Community
