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EDITOR
PUBLISHER I was talking to a friend the other day whose daughter has just started university and has suddenly been overcome with the distressing thought that her course is NOT what she expected nor the direction she wants to head in. It was very upsetting for both of them and as a parent, I can definitely understand that. We want our children to experience life without any road bumps or obstacles. But when I stopped and thought about it, that is life! Life without confrontation is a life with little to no growth or learning. Life is about learning that sometimes we need to unexpectedly change direction and re-group. Yes, financial considerations can complicate these situations but ultimately, you can only be ‘short changed’ if you don’t look to see the possible outcomes the scenario has presented. I took this home and posed the case to my boys, interested to know how they thought they would deal with it. One in particular, cottoned on very quickly to the idea that the situation was just that – ‘a situation’. He explained to me that his approach, if he were in this position, would be to re-assess his options and if it couldn’t be changed, then just take the benefits out of the year (such as new friends, a different area of learning, and so on) and look at correcting it next year. It was then that I realised I was talking about resilience – the ability to make lemonade when life has dealt you lemons. It seems such a simple concept, but is something that eludes so many of us. This sums up what I want for my children. Now it would be nice to use these pearls of wisdom to glide straight into something related to what I’m about to say, but alas, I’m not that competent a writer (that’s Gillian’s job). However, before I leave it, we both feel really strongly about the concept of resilience and we will be exploring it more fully in future issues. So let me finish by saying how much I am truly loving the experience of bringing Exploring Teens to everyone. I am being given the most incredible opportunity to speak to some ridiculously passionate people who want simply to make a difference in the lives of our youth. And for my part, I am hoping to be the able to help equip you, the parents of our youth with the resources, knowledge and support to help you make the necessary decisions along the path of … Exploring Teens.
It’s our job as parents to protect our children, but sometimes we err on the side of caution. This also applies to supporting our children’s career choices. Our instinct is to ensure our child is trained for secure employment – even if only to serve as a back-up to the child’s preferred, but more ‘risky’ career path. Some children do not wish to follow conventional study or career paths, but their decisions are no less valid. They may be following a long-held dream, or they may have no clear idea at all of what they want to do – they just know it won’t be tertiary study or typical employment. Figures released in February by the Bureau of Statistics showed that youth unemployment is at 20% (ABS 6202.0). The competition for employment grows ever stronger, and teenagers are well aware of this. A Gallup Student Poll taken last September reveals that thousands of school students lack hope for the future and are not confident about getting a good job. Entrepreneurs are generally creative people with vision, drive and passion. They are risk takers and they are not afraid of failure. They create jobs and wealth, and they initiate change and progress. These people are an asset to a country, and now is the time to invest in our entrepreneurs of the future. We should be looking for them in our schools, fuelling their drive, nurturing their vision and equipping them with the skills they need to build their dreams. Above all, we should allow them the freedom to explore their vision, knowing that this will entail failure as well as success. In this issue, as part of our feature on work and careers, we meet some of these entrepreneurs; find out what makes them tick and what we can do to help them. We cover the nuts and bolts of what your teen needs to know about starting part-time or full-time work – including a step-by-step guide on writing a resume. We also provide tips on working or volunteering overseas. We introduce our new health section in this issue, and cyber safety expert Leonie Smith shows you how to clean up your teen’s digital footprint. As always, don’t forget to drop us an email or visit our website or Facebook page – we’d love to hear from you.
Mathea
Gillian
EXPLORINGTEENS
FROM THE
FROM THE
APR/ MAY 2015 ISSUE THREE
Produced and published by Norwest Publishing Pty Ltd Director/Publisher Mathea Viles ABN 64 167 026 913 PO Box 8149 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 Editor Gillian Handley Graphic Design Melissa Kallas Print and distribution by Spotpress Pty Ltd Contributors Ros Gillieatt Nathan Jacobs Briar Jensen Collett Smart Leonie Smith Adeline Teoh Thank you to the Young and Well Youth Brains Trust of Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre for the second part of their contribution to our Starting High School article. Subscriptions Subscribe online at the Exploring Teens website Website www.exploringteens.com.au Facebook www.facebook.com/exploringteens
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Editorial (including Letters to the Editor) editorial@exploringteens.com.au Advertising advertising@exploringteens.com.au Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in Exploring Teens are not necessarily those of the publisher or editorial staff. Exploring Teens provides general information that cannot be regarded as a substitute for any form of professional advice. The accuracy of website addresses cannot be guaranteed at the time of publishing. No part of Exploring Teens can be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of the publisher.
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YOUR SAY This is what some of our readers had to say: SO happy to see this magazine!! Thank you, thank you. Nicole You’ve really produced something of lasting and genuine value to the community – both to parents and their children. This really is magnificent. Andrew I have been handing it to my clients who have greeted it, gladly. They are very keen to see a magazine for teens. Sydney's Child is not relevant to parents of high schoolers. You have cornered the market. Well done. Kim Michelle Hansen MindKeys – Counselling & Clinical Hypnotherapy Have read the magazine from cover to cover. Excellent articles. Have now passed it onto friends. Amanda Congratulations on an exceptional edition. Graeme Evans National President of Adolescent Success I went home and read your magazine and can’t wait for the next edition… that has to be a good sign that you are on the right track. I'm [also] choosing between the archery and the city mystery adventure for my daughter’s 13th birthday party ... two ideas that I hadn't known about before your magazine. Great work. Lisa Wagner Doolan Wagner Family Lawyers I just subscribed and had a very quick look at your first issue. It was great and packed with heaps of info that I would love to know more about and will read as soon as I get a chance! Ingrid I am looking forward to reading more of ET and hope it is a tremendous success. Deborah If you have any feedback to offer, we would love to hear it. Please drop us a line at editorial@exploringteens.com.au
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CONTENTS
This month we explore WORK AND CAREER.
FEATURES
REGULARS
Our ‘Exploring’ features provide depth and insight into issues affecting parents and teens.
5 Have You Heard?
Exploring Careers
6 Teen Entrepreneurs Are we doing enough to develop the entrepreneurs of tomorrow? Gillian Handley introduces you to some young movers and shakers, and finds out what support exists for young guns 8 Working Teens Ros Gillieatt explains all that your teen needs to know about starting a part-time or full-time job
14 How to Write a Resume A step-by-step guide to writing a student’s resume 15 Preparing for Work Adeline Teoh gives some solid financial advice for working teens
Exploring Travel
10 Teen Travel Has the travel bug bitten your teen? Briar Jensen offers advice on working and volunteering overseas 11 Letting Go With travel comes independence, and that can be hard for parents to accept
12 Your Teen’s World
Snippets of news about teen issues
22 Life with Teens
¡¡ Washing the Car – Teen Style ¡¡ Cyber Safety
23 Teens Talk
tarting High School Part 2. The Young S and Well CRC's Youth Brains Trust share their thoughts about how parents can help.
Activities, Products and Services
20 What Can They Do? Our pick of activities to suit the most demanding teen 21 What Can They Can Use? Some great new products and services for teens 21 Activities Directory More discoveries to entertain your teen
Reviews 18 What are they reading? Another great selection from the well-read team at Dymocks
Exploring Health
16 Avoiding Text Neck The Alexander Technique helps you recognise and eliminate tension in the body 17 Brace Yourself Does your teen need braces? What you need to know
Exploring Gaming
19 Worried about your teen? Nathan Jacobs shows how video gaming can be a gateway to a career
Cover Image: Jeremy Hansen – successful teen entrepreneur
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