By Charlotta Martinus The growing calls to ban smartphones and social media for young people are understandable. Many parents, teachers and professionals are deeply concerned. We see rising anxiety, sleep deprivation, social comparison, cyberbullying and a generation increasingly drawn away from the physical world and into the digital one. The impulse to protect young people
Banning the Phone or Building the Human? Continue »
One of the assumptions that concerns me most when discussing the growing number of young people who are not in education, employment or training is the subtle belief that the trend is somehow inevitable. When a problem becomes large enough, visible enough and persistent enough, there is a tendency to begin treating it as a fact of
Can We Reverse a National Trend? History Suggests We Can. Continue »
One of the qualities I most admire in any society is the willingness to change course when new evidence emerges. It is surprisingly difficult for institutions, governments and even individuals to admit that an idea which once appeared progressive may require reconsideration. Yet throughout history, some of the most important advances have occurred when people
Sweden’s U-Turn on Screens and the Courage to Ask What Children Really Need Continue »
When Alan Milburn’s report landed on my desk, I found myself thinking less about employment statistics and more about a group of teenagers standing outside a school gate twenty years ago. At first glance, the connection may seem tenuous. The report concerns the growing number of young people in the United Kingdom who find themselves outside
What Iceland Teaches Us About the NEET Crisis Continue »
Alan Milburn’s recent report on young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) highlights one of the most pressing social and economic challenges facing the UK today. The rising numbers should concern all of us, not only because of the impact on the life chances of individual young people, but because they
The NEET Crisis Begins Long Before a Young Person Leaves School Continue »
A generous donor has made something genuinely radical possible — five fully funded places on our 60-hour live London course, offered to individuals with the capacity to reach over a hundred young people each. Three of them are already working in therapeutic settings. Crucially, this course brings together leading practitioners, including a specialist paediatric physiotherapist from
This is what impact looks like. Continue »
There is something I have come to understand very clearly over the years: real change does not begin with systems, it begins with people. It begins in the body, in the nervous system, in those small, often invisible moments where a young person either feels overwhelmed by life or finds just enough steadiness to stay
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a medical condition that affects the way the brain and body communicate, leading to a range of physical and neurological symptoms. These can include non-epileptic seizures, motor problems like weakness, paralysis, or involuntary movements, as well as difficulties with balance, coordination, bladder and bowel function, and speech. People with FND
Understanding Functional Neurological Disorder (FND): A Guide for Educators Continue »
There is a growing silence among our young people. It is not loud, not rebellious in the ways we have learned to recognise rebellion. It does not march or shout. It withdraws, it pauses, it lingers in the in-between. And we have named it NEET — Not in Education, Employment or Training — a label
The Silent Refusal: Young People, NEET, and the Return to Being Continue »
There are times when the atmosphere of the world changes energetically—something tightens, something hardens, becomes more fragile. War ripples far beyond the places where bombs fall. It enters conversations, homes, classrooms, it enters the inner world of a young person. They feel it in the tone of adults, in the urgency of the news, in
When the World Feels Unsteady: War, Fear and the Shadow in Young People Continue »
The face-to-face TeenYoga course did not begin as a grand plan or a business model. It began with a knock on the door from local schools. Teachers asking, almost shyly at first, “Could yoga help our students? They are anxious, they are tired, they are struggling to be in their bodies.” So we tried. Small
The Course That Grew From Real Life Continue »
Why Ongoing Professional Development Is an Ethical Imperative in Youth Yoga We cannot teach young people as if nothing has changed. The world they are growing up in is not the world we trained in. It is not even the world of five years ago. It is faster, louder, more fragmented, more exposed. Identity is
Staying Relevant Is Not Optional Continue »
Adolescence isn’t a problem to fix; it’s a season of becoming. New studies keep reminding us how exquisitely plastic the teen brain is—shaped by experience, relationship, stress, screens, and even a global lockdown. Below is a simple roundup you can share with young people, parents, and practitioners. 1) COVID-era disruption and the teenage brain A
Adolescence & the Brain: what recent research is whispering to us Continue »
UK’s Low Ranking in Child Wellbeing and Mental Health Recent findings from UNICEF have highlighted a concerning trend: the UK ranks 21st out of 36 high-income countries for child wellbeing and an alarming 27th in child mental health. This places British teenagers among the most dissatisfied in the developed world, with life satisfaction levels ranking
Addressing the UK’s Child Wellbeing Crisis Through Yoga: The Role of TeenYoga Continue »
In an increasingly digitized world, young people are turning to artificial intelligence not just as a tool but as a confidant and companion. The rise of AI companions and chatbots that simulate human interaction has opened a new dimension in the way the younger generation processes emotions, handles relationships, and navigates personal challenges. The Tragic
AI as a Trusted Friend: The Echo Chamber of the Digital Age Continue »
In the ever-evolving landscape of mental health care, a beacon of hope shines brightly as Southampton Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) secures a permanent contract for the integration of yoga therapy into its services. This momentous achievement heralds a new era in holistic mental health care provision, underscoring the profound impact of complementary
Embracing Wholeness: The Transformative Power of Yoga Therapy in CAMHS Continue »
As a yoga therapist dedicated to promoting health and wellness through the practice of yoga, it has come to my attention that there exists a damaging misconception associating yoga with pornography. This unfortunate connection surfaced when examining Google Analytics and noticing a concerning trend: a high proportion of older men accessing our site from Poland,
Dispelling the Misconception: Yoga is Not Porn Continue »
At our charity, we believe in the transformative power of yoga to empower young people across the globe. In a world where teenagers face unprecedented challenges to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, we are committed to providing them with the tools and resources they need to thrive. Through advocacy, education, and outreach initiatives, we
Radiant Youth: Empowering Teenagers Worldwide through Yoga Continue »
FINALLY! AFTER THREE YEARS OF PLANNING AND CANCELLING DUE TO BREXIT, THEN COVID, WE HAVE OUR DROP IN EVENT AT PORTCULLIS HOUSE on the 19th of October, THE WORKING OFFICE OF ALL MPS AND RESEARCHERS. Sir Anthony Seldon will be addressing the MPs as well as a few young TeenYoga Ambassadors. We will take the
MP letter to Teen Yoga drop INMP Continue »
It was an honour to be asked to speak at the Festival in 2022, although we soon realised that with 300 speakers over 2 days, there would be a lot of choice for the attendees. Keynote speaker Amanda Spielman delivered an impassioned talk about Ofsted and how schools cannot separate wellbeing from education, the two
Report on Festival of Education 2022 Continue »
