Alcohol in sport, bullying on Facebook, Human Rights - Be the change

This week's show reviewed topical news and events and will act as a link to some articles, websites and TV shows/interviews well worth checking out...

What is covered:

• Alcohol Celebrations in Sport and Shane Warne
• New Domestic Violence Minister Pru Goward
• 2015 Intergenerational Report - why should we care?
• Human Rights Commission Rights and Responsibilities Consultation Report 2015
• SBS Insight and Holroyd High
• Voting and Youth Action
• Sugar and its effect on the brain
• Facebook and Monica Lewinsky
• Looking at new food habits
• How to consider change

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Top Quotes...

On Alcohol Celebrations in Sport:



We know that the earlier children children are exposed to alcohol advertising the more likely they are to commence drinking early and to drink to excess.

Our children deserve better.

They deserve not to aspire to stand on a podium that's soaked with alcohol and emblazoned with alcohol logos. They deserve to be inspired by sporting role models who are more than walking, talking alcohol billboards.

If there's some comfort to be had it is that drinking to excess is no longer considered an acceptable badge of honour by the entire population. As a nation, we are now questioning the role of the alcohol industry, our sporting competitions and the media in perpetuating this negative and harmful behaviour.
Michael Thorn - Chief Executive of the Foundation for Alcohol Research
See the full article in the link below.

Human Rights Commission Online Survey Responses

The right to express is not the right to abuse. The right to an opinion is not a right to force that opinion on others.

and...

Australians feel strongly that they are free to express their opinions....However, when bullying and targeting arises as a reaction to that freedom of expression, it does impact on the sense of freedom the original person felt. Particularly online, threats and 'trolling' can deprive a person of the feeling of freedom to safely express themselves. This is complex because of course the 'troll' is exercising their freedom to expression, and in doing so limiting that of the other.

Holroyd High has turned the lives of many children around - how do they do it?  

Restorative justice principles...the idea is that you help the child to take responsibility for what they've done. To confront what they've done, to look at it, to acknowledge it and then they have to find the way to repair the damage. They have to acknowledge that. We don't blame the child, it's not simply punishing someone, it is saying you are part of a solution to this and that is an important part of what we do.
Dorithy Hoddinott, Principal - SBS Insight - Holroyd High


ASIDE - the program is well worth viewing - it shows how acceptance and equality builds a young person's self esteem. Discipline, acceptance and love go hand in hand.

How do we prevent online bullying? This was the question posed by Nadia Goodman after her experience of moderating Monica Lewinsky's Ted Talk entitled - The Price of Shame

....I think of that moment of sea change like a sort of herd immunity. The positive voices, when there are enough of them, keep abusive ones from spreading, just as most vaccinated polulation protects those few people who are not. Together, we have the power to protect the most vulnerable amongst us.

This phenomenon is Monica's message in action. She asks us to be "upstanders", to speak up and stand up for those who are victims of our culture of shame.
Nadia Goodman - ideas.ted.com

Before lasting behaviour change can occur, 
the reasons for our behaviour must first be understood.

Taking time to understand why we do the things we do, whether it is:

• Eating foods that don't agree with us
• An issue with alcohol or drugs 
• Anger issues
• Anxiety
• Withdrawing from life

By taking time to understand why we use these behaviours or go into these patterns means that the behaviours no longer own us and we have a potential to change. To be the change we want to see. 

We will have further interviews on this introductory topic in weeks to come... this was a taster!

Resources

Michael Thorn article in Sydney Morning Herald - ICC Cricket World Cup: Alcohol-drenched culture needs to change

Michael Thorn is Chief Executive of the Foundation for Alcohol Reseach & Education

Adrienne Fracis article from ABC news - Urgent 'shake-up' of domestic and sexual violence responses needed: ACT victims of Crime Commissioner

Rachel Olding article in SMH - New anti-domestic violence minister Pru Goward highlights prevention

Intergenerational Report - Challenge of Change

Human Rights Commission Rights and ResponsibilitiesConsultation Report 2015

SBS Insight program into Holroyd High

Youth Actions Election report

Iman Farrar article from North Shore Times

RN First Bite - Sweet and sour: Sugar and caffeine in the brain

ABC Catalyst - Toxic Sugar

Monica Lewinsky Ted Talk 2015 - The price of Shame

Nadia Goodman - Want to prevent online bullying?

Huffington Post - How to Change the Habits of 107,000 people

The New Behaviour Change App from Fabic

Short video - Is Change Possible? Understanding our Choices

With thanks to...

Thanks for this show go to TripleHfm for letting me loose on their airways and to Glorious Music for letting me use their dance tracks in the show and on the website. Please check them out...Groove Your Foundations and Tango with Truth