The Hindu Business Line : Ice-breakers for ticklish issues

What’s more difficult than being a parent? Talking to teenagers on the dangers of drugs, alcohol and HIV, many might chorus! Discussing such issues without creating undue bias in young minds is a tough task and it’s even tougher not knowing where to start and how best to deal with such topics. The Talking with Kids site at http://www.talkingwithkids.org/booklet.html has many free downloadable resources that you could perhaps use to make the process easier.

As it states, “This Web site is part of a series of Web pages from the national campaign, Talking With Kids About Tough Issues by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation, written to give adults support in talking to young children about difficult societal and personal pressures, such as sex, violence, and HIV and AIDS.”

The easily downloadable book at http://www.talkingwithkids.org/twk-booklet-english.pdf has solutions worth exploring. The book states an obvious fact: “talk with your kids before everyone else does.” From tips on how to make the atmosphere more conducive to a conversation, to creating an open environment, the book is a simple guide that adults could use to effect because the pointers are sensible and widely applicable.

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More on the subject of climate change. If you are a teacher struggling with a classload of ten-plus thirsty for more information on this current topic, then hope is at hand.

Designed for teachers, educators and facilitators, the Cool Planet ( http://www.comminit.com/en/node/184518), set up by the UK-based charity Oxfam, aims to use “the concept of ‘global citizenship’, to assist teachers in bringing a global dimension into their classrooms.” The Web site includes a calendar of key dates for teachers, and a lot of teaching material on issues such as health, trade, climate change, food, and water.

Check out the case studies option on the page at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/educationresources/category.htm?8./

It isn’t boring stuff. Instead, with catchy headlines such as ‘Climate Chaos’, it has lessons set for a week at the end of which concepts will be clearer to young students. It also has activity sheets that can be used to sharpen the lesson’s focus.

For example, the first day says, “Pupils work out what they know and what they would like to know about climate change.” Various short films are suggested that are available online and can be downloaded for classroom use. While on the site, do visit the page on Recycling at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/oxfam/action.htm#recycle.

While only some of it is relevant to the Indian context, it is interesting to see how, worldwide, young people could recycle their mobile phones to make a difference. A lesson that grown ups too can take to heart!

paromita@thehindu.co.in