Gateway hosts Part two - Screenagers: Next Chapter Documentary

As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child”. One part of the village is Gateway CERH offering an on-line screening of a documentary Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience.  Join the community conversation in a follow-up Zoom Q and A session about strategies to help our kids and teens build crucial skills to navigate stress, anxiety, and depression in our digital age.

This topic is especially relevant during the pandemic.  Last month a report was released by a research team at McMaster University and The Offord Centre for child Studies – Impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on Ontario Families with Children: Findings from the Initial Lockdown. The report provided a snapshot of the experiences of Ontario families during the initial phase of the lockdown. Caregivers and children of all ages were coping with unparalleled challenges.  “Many parents indicate that their children are worse off in terms of behaviour and mood since the COVID 19 pandemic started”. A third of the 7400+ caregivers surveyed reported needing assistance with their child’s behaviour and/or stress and more than half of parents stated that they would be interested in receiving parenting tips.  

Remote learning is a reality for many students this Fall, requiring much more screen time than they are used to. It’s so important to make the most of their time outside school hours to enjoy the outdoors and get lots of exercise for their general well being.  Safe distancing interaction with peers within your bubble or class cohort is also beneficial for one’s mental health.  Social skills are learned and like any skill, they require practice.     

Filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston takes the conversation around screens and teens to the next level with Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience—a film that examines the science behind teen’s emotional challenges, the interplay of social media, and most importantly, what can be done in our schools and homes to help them build crucial skills to navigate stress, anxiety, and depression in our digital age. 

In Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, we follow Delaney as she finds herself at a loss as to how to help her own teens as they struggle with their emotional wellbeing. She sets out to understand these challenges in our current screen-filled society, and how we as parents, grandparents and educators, can empower teens to overcome mental health challenges and build emotional agility, communication savvy, and stress resilience. We witness Delaney as she finds her way from ineffective parenting to much-improved strategies. We follow other personal stories of families from an array of backgrounds with a spectrum of emotional challenges. Interwoven into the stories are surprising insights from brain researchers, psychologists, and thought leaders that reveal evidence-based ways to support mental wellness among our youth. The impact of social media and other screen time is incorporated in all the topics raised in Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, how it may be impacting our teens’ mental health, and what we can do to help foster youth in the face of struggles.

Gateway CERH would like to acknowledge and thank The Town of Goderich and Larry Otten Contracting, sponsors of these virtual Speaker Series events.

Gateway CERH has purchased the licencing rights which allows their organization to offer this documentary to registering participants. Registrants will watch Next Chapter on their own time during a two-week on demand viewing period Oct. 8 - 22, then opt to participate in a moderated Q and A session on ZOOM Oct. 22 at 7:00 PM,  led by a facilitator and a panel of local experts coordinated by Gateway.

Register for this documentary online:   https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/116131706059