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A GCGI Initiative: Examining mental health issues around the world, with a special focus on children, youth, students, their teachers and lecturers.

This new GCGI Initiative is dedicated to the youth of the world, our children and grand- children, who are the unfolding story of the decades ahead. May they rise to the challenge of leading our troubled world, with hope and wisdom in the interest of the common good to a better future.

'A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.'

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Lest We Forget:

A country/nation drunk on market values, guided by cruel machinery of exploitation, racism, class division, austerity, cruelty, aggression, that humiliates it’s innocent, weak and vulnerable citizens, with neoliberalism, poverty, inequality and food banks and celebrates extreme individualism, feral competition, worship of mammon, rat-race to a success that it can never deliver and ignores the struggles and plight of its children and youth, ceases to be civilised and sooner or later ceases to exist morally or spiritually.

VALUING WHAT MATTERS MOST

It’s Time To Face The Facts On Children’s and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing

N.B. In the last number of years, as evident by the number of articles I have written, lectures I have given, conferences and forums I have organised and more, I have concentrated and devoted much time, energy, thoughts and reflection on mental health, happiness and well-being, with special emphasis on children, youth, students, their teachers and lecturers.

Here, in this new page, I wish to bring a selected representative of those writings together, for ease of access and further research, as well as to encourage a meaningful and rewarding dialogue and engagement with all stakeholders.

Let us rise to this global challenge. Let us come together for the common good, suggesting possible solutions, envisioning a better life for our children, enabling them and their children to lead a more fulfilling and happier life.

The opportunity is upon us. Let’s seize it. Carpe Diem!

Please give us your kind moral and spiritual support. Please share with us your insight, vision, experience and story. Should you wish to do so, consider writing a short piece and email it to me at k.mofid@gcgi.info for consideration for possible posting. All in all, please help us, inspire, envision and enable us in any way possible for you. We will be grateful for any ideas/suggestions you may have.

It’s All in The Mind: Focus on Mental Health

A GCGI Initiative: Examining mental health issues around the world, with a special focus on children, youth, students, their teachers and lecturers.

A Plea to address Global Youth Depression (First published on 10 February 2015) 

 

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Youth Mental Health Matters:

There are 1.2 Billion Youth Aged 15-24 Years in the World

"Youth and Mental Health": The shocking statistic is that 1 in 5 young people suffer from mental illness.  Many more suffer from mild depression and loneliness. This is a plea to all youth workers, social/health-care workers, academics, teachers, the youth themselves, parents, schools, colleges, universities, civil societies dealing with youth, politicians, media, business community, religious and spiritual leaders, all the people of good will:  Make 2015 a year where you purposefully ensure that a permanent, safe, creative space is made available for all young people to speak their heart, anxiety, worries, hopes and dreams.  Let us all become a vehicle of hope and ensure young people are transformed into responsible global citizens, having overcome any disadvantages that they might have faced in the past. This is a true Common Good Vision.

A Plea to address Global Youth Depression

Studies after studies are demonstrating that the number of young adults, youth and students, who are struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and psychosis all across the world, is rising.  The problem is most acute at university and college campuses world-wide and has become a global mental health crisis. The age at which many mental disorders manifest themselves is between 18 and 24, which coincides directly with the average age of student enrolment in higher education.  Moreover, it is also noted that psychological disorders, for which students are being treated while studying in higher education, are increasing in severity. Adolescent suicide rates have tripled over the past 60 years, making suicide the second leading cause of death for that age group.

It should also be noted that depression and anxiety disorder are not confined to our higher education institutes.  Today's schoolchildren too are at a higher risk of depression than any previous generation. As many as 9% of children will experience a major depressive episode by the time they are 14 years old, and 20% will experience a major depressive episode before graduating from high school.  Having suffered from depression as children, these young people are much more vulnerable to depression as adults...Continue to read

An Open Letter to University Leaders: Students’ Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Must Be Our Priority(2 October 2015)

Student Suicides at Bristol University: My Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hugh Brady(22 February 2018)

Rising numbers of stressed students seek help(1 October 2015)

(Here I am also very much influenced and inspired by my own life journey, experience and insight: Coventry and I: The story of a boy from Iran who became a man in Coventry (30 November 2015)

The Report that should Shame us all: The Neglected and Abused Children in England(4 July 2017)

The scar on the conscience of Britain: The neglect of its children, youth, students and more(17 April 2019)

The blight on the conscious of the world: Why are so many youth and students killing and harming themselves?(18 May 2016)

Cruel State and Austerity: 

Austerity is nothing but hitting and punishing the innocents, poor, weak and vulnerable people for the crimes of the rich and powerful

Capitalism for the Poor and Socialism for the Rich!

Recession, Austerity, Mental, Emotional and Physical illness (12 September 2012)

(To understand these multiple health crisis better, to find a path of healing, we need to support and value our NHS more than ever before: The NHS: The Healthcare for the Common Good(19 June 2014) and Britain’s greatest achievement: Wishing Our Precious NHS a Very Happy 70th Birthday(5 July 2018)

In Search of Meaning in Life: Happiness Revealed(2 April 2014)     

A Path to Happiness- A Perspective from Leo Tolstoy(4 January 2016)

Memento mori, Memento vivere and the Madness of Black Friday(17 November 2015)

A Journey to Inner Peace(28 December 2015)

Why a Simple Life Matters: The Path to peace and happiness lies in the simple things in life(7 August 2015)

Wisdom of Lao Tzu: The Path to Virtue, Happiness, and Harmony(12 October 2014)

Are you physically and emotionally drained? I know of a good and cost-free solution!(1 March 2019)

Good on you Ms. Essena O'Neill: Social media 'is not real life'

(To understand life better, to be able to lead a good, meaningful and healthy life, and to understand and cope with life’s ups and downs, we need values-led education, economics and economy:

The Value of Values: Why Values Matter(24 March 2014)

Why Happiness Should be Taught at Our Universities(12 January 2011)

Adam Smith and the Pursuit of Happiness(20 August 2014)

The Art of Living a Happier life: Solitude- The Most Important Skill Nobody Taught You(20 June 2018)

Meditation at the Shore(10 October 2014)

Brexit, Trump and the failure of our universities to pursue wisdom(26 November 2016)

Calling all academic economists: What are you teaching your students?(16 June 2015)

Economics and Economists Engulfed By Crises: What Do We Tell the Students?(22 April 2010)

The Journey to Sophia: Education for Wisdom

In this troubled world let the beauty of nature and simple life be our greatest teachers(4 June 2016)

Nature the Best Teacher: Re-Connecting the World’s Children with Nature(10 April 2015)

The future that awaits the human venture: A Story from a Wise and Loving Teacher(2 June 2016)

Mr Trump, we are not what we earn!(23 June 2017)

What might an Economy for the Common Good look like?(15 October 2014)

Remaking Economics

My Economics and Business Educators’ Oath: My Promise to My Students(27 June 2015)

More to be posted.