STARS Kids Life Coaches

My Special Interests:

Building self-esteem, social skills, attention disorders, emotional intelligence, building a

success mindset, divorce recovery and communication skills

My Training:

Certified Kids Life Studio® Coach, 28 years of teaching, Bachelor's degree in

education, Masters degree in Psychology and Education, specialized training in social skills,

conflict resolution, and cognitive and behavioural awareness.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TITLE:

What are the missing puzzle pieces to building mentally resilient children?

(WESTMINSTER, UK / June 2019) — An event was underway in the House of Lords attended by a global group of change makers for children.

On this International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, author of The Secret Parent and founder of The Kids Life Studio was being hosted as the key note speaker at a High Tea event by the Lord Patel of Bradford.

In March 2018, Lord Patel was appointed as the Chair of Social Work England, which is the new regulator for all child, family and adult social workers in England, by the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care. Lord Patel has also previously been the chair of the Mental Health Act Commission and he was a Commissioner of the Healthcare Commission and The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. He has authored a number of national reports including The Patel Report into Prison Drug Treatment.

This special children’s commemoration day, which he was hosting, was established in 1982, by the UN General Assembly. Its implementation was originally in response to the atrocities perpetrated against Palestinian and Lebanese children, but today it applies in all areas of the world and is aimed at offering the protection of the over 250 million children living in countries and areas affected by conflict. Children like the 120 000 child soldiers forced to fight in Africa, the 40 000 children (some as young as 7) working in cobalt mines in the Congo for stretches of up to 12 hours, the 12 million Indian children working in slavery, the 3 million children living on Egypt’s streets and the 36,000 children working as prostitutes in Thailand.

Baroness Patricia Scotland, the Secretary General of the Common Wealth who opened the event, stated that “Our hearts are torn when we see the suffering of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. Action to heal their mental as well as their physical wounds is a humanitarian imperative of the highest order.”

The core emphasis of this event was to engage in meaningful discussions on the missing puzzle pieces required for building mentally resilient children. In her key note speech, highlighting the core factors at the heart of all adults who inflict harm on children, author and child resilience expert, Zelna stated that “Large-scale population studies show that when there is significant childhood trauma such as family violence, addiction in the family, sexual, emotional or physical abuse, a parent being mentally ill or in jail, the risk is exponentially increased for setbacks in later life.”

Presenting a solution for this, she further shared evidence on her life coaching model for children being used since 2003 that is now represented and used globally: “If we want to create a world that thrives and not just survives, it starts with offering children life coaching as a mandatory intervention before the age of 12, so that they can learn to adapt rather than give up, despite the challenges such as aggression that they have very little control over.”

Representing the USA, Kids Life Studio® Certified Coach, Bronwyn Bergen acted as an ambassador for children, engaging in conversations with many politicians, policy makers, heads of charities, university chancellors, school principals and the media. Bronwyn says: “What an honor it was being able to attend the House of Lords and represent the United states. It was empowering being able to hold vital conversations regarding the rise of mental illness in children and how being a kids life coach can help children to make a habit of good choices that impact positively on themselves and those around them, so that they can be happier, more motivated and inspired”. Other global country representatives from the organization included, (Anett Villanyi from Hungary, Candy Fung from United Kingdom, Monique Engelbrecht from South Africa, Paula Branez from Bolivia/Texas, U.S. Aurelie Adriamialson from Switzerland).

In closing the event, Lord Patel encouraged those who were present to further engage in collaborative conversations with regards to Kids Life Coaching as a viable preventive strategy that provides the missing puzzle pieces to building mentally resilient children. This was in line with the discussions at the annual Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva last month, where ministers discussed the need to prioritize women, youth, people with disabilities and vulnerable groups, in their ongoing push towards universal health coverage. Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland said at the time: “Health is both an input to and a desirable outcome of sustainable development. Any delays in addressing the needs of the most marginalized on the journey results in much steeper challenges in the future.”