DVD teaches important life skills that open a world of possibilities

On August 15, 2011, the National Poll on Children’s Health, conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, was released. It brought to light startling new health concerns that are facing America’s youth. Drug abuse is now tied with childhood obesity as their #1 concern followed by: smoking and tobacco use, teen pregnancy, bullying, Internet safety and stress.   Bullying, in particular, has become a national concern following some recent youth suicides. 

Earlier in the year, we provided some suggestions for parents and caregivers for books and music that not only inform and provide useful strategies to help combat bullying, but are entertaining to children and teens while getting positive messages across in non-confrontational ways. 

Today, we’re providing information on a DVD series that certainly fits this same mold, SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS.

Yoga is practiced by nearly 14 million American adults, and it also has developmental benefits for young people that help instill self-confidence, combat obesity, develop physical strength and improve academic achievement, while cultivating inner peace and mindfulness. 

Yoga has also been found to be beneficial for children with ADHD, Autism and chronic disease, helping them to stay physically healthy and mentally focused. 

SHANTI GENERATION was developed by noted Southern California yoga instructor, Abby Wills, in tandem with the direct input from seven Los Angeles teenagers.

The video does not require previous training in yoga, and it is a program that talks to and not at kids.

The production values of this DVD are high end and include tight editing and a hip sound track with soothing music by Aaron Wills (a/k/a P-Nut, bassist of the rock band 311). The total presentation is designed to capture the attention of young people.

Unlike most yoga videos, boys as well as girls demonstrate the exercises rather than an instructor, while the teens’ multiracial makeup is more reflective of modern America. 

Wills, who holds a Masters in Education, has had 15 years of hands-on experience working in schools, communities, and in international workshops for teachers. Her approach to yoga for youth is informed by studies in social justice and developmental education, which provide her unique insights in understanding the specific needs of the educator as well as the student.

 “Shanti,” means peace in Sanskrit. In fact, says Wills, “We plan to build a movement by teaching young people peacemaking skills, to build a world that respects and celebrates differences in effort to create a culture of peace and unity. The yoga program we developed cultivates social and emotional learning, or SEL, through mindfulness practices including movement, breathing and meditation. Each practice is offered in a context directly relevant to the developmental needs of adolescent youth.” She adds, “The program is designed to empower teens to cope with real life challenges, including bullying.” 

The SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS 90-minute DVD features:

Over 30 unique options for beginner and experienced yogis:

5 unique half-hour practice sequences: Creating Happiness, Energy Amplified, Choosing Peace, Being Sound and Voice Choice Possibility 

Library of Poses: 18 mini sequences for Focus, Energy and Calm 

 Breathing Room: 5 sequences featuring stress management and self-regulation

Self-Connection Room: two mindful awareness practices

 Interviews with the seven teen yoga students

 Optional narration in Spanish and Japanese

Below is the official trailer for SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS and a second video introducing you to some of the young people who are part of this unique program.

The Suggested retail price for SHANTI GENERATION: YOGA SKILLS FOR YOUTH PEACEMAKERS is $16.95 and Amazon.com has best price of $14.95.

Stellar lineup of musicians tackle bullying in meaningful and entertaining ways

 

This past October was National Anti-Bullying Month, and it was established to create awareness in the media, hopefully reaching out to parents and educators with news and messages about this consistently growing problem, which unfortunately may spell tragedy in young lives.

                                           

Bullying affects kids every day and not just for a month.

In June, this column covered some startling facts about bullying along with excellent literary resources to share and help open a dialogue with the children and teens in your life.  Authors J.D. Holiday, Annie Fox and 70 other writers were part of a recommended reading list, which you’ll find by connecting to this previous post – The Book Report: Books about ‘Bullying’

In today’s column, we cover a host of musicians who have joined the anti-bullying cause and whose music addresses this burgeoning problem, which is not only fraught with intimidation and cruelty, but issues of self-esteem.

Each of these recommended CDs helps to reach kids on a different entertaining level.

From Recess Music and their Best Foot Forward Series comes Big Bully, a compilation of 15 tuneful tracks (45-minutes, ages 4-11) featuring genres that range from pop to rock, rap to country, all expertly performed by highly recognizable music industry professionals – performers include Milkshake, The Hipwaders, Mary Kaye and The Uncle Brothers (to name a few) who ply their craft with important messages for kids that are delivered in a meaningful and non-preachy way. 

Tracks such as “I’m Sorry,” “Don’t Bully Me” and “I Can Make a Difference” impart a good dose of recognition and enlightenment on a kid-friendly level.

Big Bully is available to sound sample and download in MP3 format from Amazon.com for $0.99 per track, or all 15 songs for $8.99. The CD format is also available through Amazon for $13.14 or Amazon Marketplace for $6.12.

Also from Recess Music, comes an awesome adjunct album to the Big Bully CD – U R SOME 1.

Again, part of the Best Foot Forward Series, this newest release, U R SOME 1 includes 12 tracks (32 minutes ages 4-11) with songs that focus on self-awareness, acceptance and self-esteem.

Gifted children’s musicians Peter Himmelman, Anna Moo, Katherine Dines and others provide an upbeat and happy recording whose overall message stresses that being human and unique is a pretty nifty thing.

The album is available to sound sample and download in MP3 format from Amazon.com for $0.99 per track, or all 12 songs for $8.99. The CD format is also available through Amazon for $13.14 or Amazon Marketplace for $8.31.

Steve Pullara, a Grammy nominated Producer and Parents’ Choice and NAPPA Awards- Winner, has created a one-of-a-kind recording that effectively tackles head-on, the difficult topic of bullying in the album,  All About Bullies… Big and Small.

Pullara, who not only served as Producer and Supervising Creative Director for this recording, is also part of the performance line-up. In the creation of All About Bullies, Pullara assembled one of the most diverse and recognized teams of recording artists and producers in the music industry. The contributing credits for this album read like a “Who’s Who”, and the end result and combined creativity is a recording that not only entertains but fosters parent/child communication about a difficult topic.

All About Bullies is a masterfully crafted gem that marries spoken words delivering wise messages, poetry and music, and toe-tapping tunes with meaningful lyrics. The end result offers up 37 unique tracks, with a mix of genres created from one of the largest assembled musical casts, each participating artist offers their own special message and approach on the subject of bullying.

Full-track sound samples are available for listening at: 

http://allaboutbulliesbigandsmall.com/albums/all-about-bullies-big-and-small

CD Baby has the entire All About Bullies… Big and Small CD album available for $15.00, or MP3 download of the entire album for $10.00.

All profits from the proceeds of this recording are donated to PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org

Pullara’s commitment to this anti-bullying project is best summed up when he says “Always keep in mind, we have another tomorrow and that bullying shouldn’t be a part of childhood.”

Below, for your enjoyment are three music videos created from the album.

Debbie and Friends – “Walk Away”

Blue October- “Jump Rope”

Peter Alsop – “Courage”

The Book Report: Books about ‘Bullying’

'Books' by Paula Slade

Today’s edition of “The Book Report” focuses on books that are written specifically for children and teens and tackle the difficult subject of “bullying,” which has become an epidemic in our society.

In an oft-quoted article, “School Bullying Statistics - The ABCs of Harassment”, the statistics, which were gathered in 2009 as part of a national survey on bullying are astounding:

“Over 75% of our students are subjected to harassment by a bully or Cyber-Bully and experience physical, psychological and/or emotional abuse.

Over 20% of our kids admit to being a bully or participating in bully-like activities.

Over one-half of bullying and Cyber-Bullying events go unreported to authorities or parents.

Over 100,000 children carried guns to school as a result of being bullied.

28% of students who carry weapons in school have witnessed violence in their homes.

On a daily average, 160,000 children miss school because they fear they will be bullied if they attend classes.

On a monthly average, 282,000 students are physically attacked by a bully each month.

Every seven minutes, a child is bullied on a school playground, with over 85% of those instances occurring without any intervention.

46% of males and 26% of females admit to having been involved in physical fights as a result of being bullied.

Over 85% of our teenagers say that revenge as an aftermath of being bullied is the leading cause for school shootings and homicide.

The top 5 states in regards to reported incidents of bullying and Cyber-Bullying are California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington.”

And the most disturbing statistic of all: “ A child commits suicide (as a direct result of being bullied) once every half hour, with 19,000 bullied children attempting to commit suicide over the course of one year.”

It doesn’t have to be that way. There are many fine written resources for parents, caregivers, teachers and school administrators such as Barbara Coloroso’s, The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander, and Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin’s, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying; both books fully enlighten and provide strategies for adults whose children are experiencing bullying on many levels.

The three books and the app that are featured below, provide the same valuable information and strategies as the adult-level books, but are geared directly to young people who are dealing with the difficult dynamics of bullying on a day-to-day basis. By sharing these excellent reads with the young person in your life, you’ll be offering tools and understanding that will indeed help them.

Each of these books and app are targeted for specific age ranges and are presented with different approaches using fiction, a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and non-fiction alone.

A brief overview of these highly recommended books along with pricing information has been provided for your convenience. 

To explore each title further or for ordering information, simply follow the highlighted link.

The Great Snowball Escapade written and illustrated by J.D. Holiday

This 90-page chapter book, geared for early readers age six to eight, is the fictional story of 7-year-old Wilhelmina (“Wil”) Brooks and the trials of dealing with her bullying cousin Bud Dunphry, when he comes to live in Wil’s household.

The book subtly teaches and instills the important foundations of cooperation, trust, empathy and friendship.

Best pricing for the paperback edition of The Great Snowball Escapade is available through Amazon.com for $5.99 or the Kindle edition for $3.99. The Nook edition is also available for $3.99 at Barnes and Noble.

Be Confident in Who You Are (Book I from the Middle School Confidential Series) by Annie Fox, M. Ed

A fiction/non-fiction blend presented in appealing graphic novel format for children in the all-important transitional “tween” years ages 11 to 14.

All the books in this series take young readers into the world of six middle school students, Jack, Jen, Mateo, Abby, Chris, and Michelle as they navigate some of life’s hardest lessons covering friendships, bullying, self esteem and family dynamics.

Along with engaging character narratives, the books provide quizzes and quotes from real kids, plus practical tips, tools and resources that children can effectively employ in their lives. Take a look at the book trailer video that is embedded below.

Best available Paperback pricing for Be Confident Who You Are (Middle School Confidential Series Book I) is through Free Spirit Publishing at $6.49 or through Amazon Marketplace beginning at $5.47. Amazon.com also offers the Kindle edition for $7.99. 

Be Confident in Who You Are is now also available for iPad or iPad 2 with (iPhone and iPod versions coming soon). Requires iOS 4.0 or later (iOS 4.3 tested) 30.4 MB.

As a 49-page digital graphic novel it offers sound effects, music, interactive features, zooming in-and-out, auto-save, “Special Meet the Cast Pages” , and is available at iTunes for only $3.99.

 

Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories

Young adults need a totally different approach, and from Harper Teen, comes a brand new 352-page paperback anthology, Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Story presented by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones.

This unique book provides teens with first hand accounts from the voices of experience - 70 admired authors sharing and uniting in a common bond in the retelling of their own true life stories about bullying, and the effects that it had on their lives.

Pre-orders of Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories are being taken by Amazon.com where the paperback edition is being offered for $9.99 and will ship on the August 23, 2011 release date. There is also a Kindle Edition for $8.99 and Hardcover for $11.21.

Barnes and Noble has best price for the Paperback Edition at $9.49 or Nook delivery for $8.99.