Young people in Australia experience very high stress in schools, which has negative impacts on their academic performance and mental health. It is crucial schools teach students how to identify and best manage stress. These skills will continue to benefit them throughout their lives.

St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School in Sunshine West joined thousands of Australian primary schools in kicking off the world’s biggest mindfulness class last week, promoting strong mental wellbeing among young people.

Situated in a remote area south of Sydney Broulee is a primary school that has embraced mindfulness training into the curriculum. Jean Watson the mindfulness consultant and trainer has been working with Sue Lowe the Headmistress and Nerida Bourke the Kindergarten teacher to develop and implement mindfulness into the school curriculum.

Today is United Nation's World Drug Day: International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, where "on this [day, UN Secretary-General, Ban Hi-moon calls] on countries and communities to continue to improve the lives of everyone blighted by drug abuse by integrating security and public safety with a heightened focus on health, human rights, and sustainable development."

This year, Diabetes Australia will be highlighting the tragedy of diabetes-related amputations as the main theme for the National Diabetes Week 2016.

Every year, more than 4,400 amputations are carried out as a result of diabetes. We need to do more to reduce the impact of diabetes.

I recently went to a lecture by Prof Read Montague, a well-respected academic psychiatrist and neuroscientist. There, he reminded the audience of the surprising and yet validated finding that brain science can predict a person’s political ideology, for example if that person is a Progressive or Conservative with an amazingly high degree of accuracy.

That alone (as well as with the US presidential election full steam ahead) provides significant food for thought. However he went on to say that brain science could predict share market bubbles and crashes as well!

Common Ground – Meditation In Australia

An important online forum exploring the unique nature of meditation in Australia.

This event will gather First Nations Australian practitioners, thinkers and academics to explain and teach ancient Indigenous practices and stories representing the interconnected traditions of meditation, systems thinking and caring for Country deeply embedded in the original spirituality of Australia.

The program will also explore some of the more prominent cross-cultural meditation practices prevalent in this country since the 1960s, emerging from teachers in Indian and South East Asian traditions through to more recent psychologically-attuned approaches.

Saturday 29th May: All day forum, 10am – 6pm

Sunday 30th May: The Hangout, 11am – 12.30pm

Smiling Mind has supported findings released today from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, specifically those calling for investment in mental health promotion and prevention strategies, and recognising the crucial role technology and innovation can play in fostering good mental health.