Latest News
Is there any cure for the public's relationship with the health service?
1st July 2008
Few people would dispute that councils, the NHS and the third sector could work together more effectively to improve health and wellbeing in local communities. But there are finally signs that this could happen.
Councils can help spread the joy
11th June 2008
Here's a question for a council leader: "On the whole, do you consider your residents to be very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with the lives they lead?" A conventional answer might be that the authority has enough on its plate without having to worry about the private feelings of individuals. But a few brave councils are beginning to question the conventions.
Neighbourliness + Empowerment = Wellbeing
Is there a formula for happy communities?
11th June 2008
How does active citizenship contribute to the wellbeing of communities? This report, which is the first in a series of publications from the Local Wellbeing Project, tries to answer this question by investigating empowerment initiatives in three very different local authorities: Hertfordshire, Manchester and South Tyneside.
Happy mediums: Can we 'immunise' young people against unhappiness and depression?
30th April 2008
That's the aim of a groundbreaking project to teach emotional resilience, reports Madeleine Bunting in The Guardian. There is a sharp spring wind rattling the window panes of Epinay school in Jarrow, South Tyneside, but the attention of the eight children in the class is firmly fixed on their teacher, Deborah Wilson. Up on the board is a cartoon of two boys discussing a girl they both like, with speech bubbles floating above their heads. Wilson is explaining to the children how the speech bubbles contain "self-talk" - the thoughts and conversations that go on in our heads. She is explaining how pessimistic thoughts can become self-fulfilling, while optimistic thoughts have more constructive outcomes. She encourages the children to challenge the negative thoughts, look for an alternative way of thinking, and be sure to put the situation into perspective.
