Here at Tooled Up, we are really excited about our ongoing partnership with Bank of Ireland and we're very proud to have worked on a two-month long initiative aimed at supporting Bank of Ireland employees and their families. The ‘Wild Child’ campaign was a weekly digest delivered directly to BOI staff through August and September 2024, offering a range of resources, tools and support and for staff and their families.
With families often juggling work, school and extracurricular commitments, the campaign offered practical support and recognised the role that employers can play in helping to promote a balanced, fulfilling family life. More information on the ‘Wild Child’ campaign can be found below and, as always, all of these resources continue to be available to Bank of Ireland employees and all subscribers to the Tooled Up platform.
Week 1: School holidays
Ever heard of the ‘summer slide?’ We don’t want children’s learning to get rusty over the holidays, but equally, they need time to relax. We suggested that Bank of Ireland staff could get the balance right with these tips and ideas, and by nudging children to consider setting some achievable goals and targets for the coming school year.
Quirky Activities for Teens and Tweens During the Holidays
Week 2: Vaping
Survey data from over 6,500 15-18 year olds gathered by drugs education charity, the DSM Foundation has shown that 95% of respondents say that vaping is one of the main substances used by their peers. Find out more in this Quick Guide to Vaping (which rounds up lots of other useful resources) and tip sheet.
Week 3: Raising a child in a digital world
How can we engage children in meaningful conversations about online usage and screen time, without boring them or telling them off? How can we raise a child who is aspirational online but also self-protective? Where do the real digital risks lie, and how can we encourage our children to consider their own rights and entitlements in the digital age? We suggested that these resources can help!
Monitoring Your Social Media Diet: Guidelines for Teenagers
Researcher of the Month: Dr Mariya Stoilova Discusses the Pros and Cons of Parental Controls
Dr Weston Talks with Dr Elena Martellozzo: Young People, Pornography and Online Safety
Week 4: Energy drinks
Around one in three young people – particularly boys – say that they regularly consume energy drinks, with under 18s in the UK and Northern Ireland consuming more than their peers in other European countries. These resources cover information that parents and carers need to know.
A Quick Guide to Energy Drinks
Researcher of the Month: Professor Amelia Lake Discusses Harms Associated with Energy Drinks
Week 5: Anxiety
Clinical anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems in adolescents, but low levels of anxiety, nerves and worries are things that we all need to manage in everyday life. Find out more about the difference between the two, learn where (and when) to go for further support, and arm yourself with some evidence-based techniques to help children (and you) navigate anxiety generally.
Week 6: Bullying
What does bullying look like in 2024 and how can we help our children to be positive bystanders when they witness bullying behaviours? These resources helped Bank or Ireland employees over the summer.
Dr Weston Talks with Professor James O’Higgins Norman: Tackling Bullying
Raising a Positive Bystander or ‘Upstander’: Five Things Parents Need to Know
Being a Positive Bystander: Scenarios to Discuss with Children and Teens
Supporting Your Child to Step Away From and Challenge Harmful Talk in Their Peer Group
Week 7: Body image, eating disorders and self-harm
There are many things we can do to help our children learn to appreciate and accept their bodies. We know that poor body image is the biggest risk factor for eating disorders, but it is also one of the most modifiable. Learn more here.
Promoting Positive Body Image: 10 Tips for Parents
Dr Weston Talks with Professor Tracey Wade: Perfectionism, Social Media and Eating Disorders
Week 8: Gender-based violence
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an umbrella term used to cover a wide range of abuse types that affect more women and girls than men and boys. The University of Exeter has developed something called the Pyramid of Discrimination and Harm. At the top of the pyramid is violence and homicide, but lower down the pyramid are more common behaviours, such as sexist attitudes, use of phobic language, microaggressions and verbal expressions that are harassing or discriminatory. These are things we can and need to talk about in family life. Learn more here:
Researcher of the Month: Anda Solea Discusses Misogynistic Content on TikTok
'Revenge Porn': What it is and isn't
Dr Weston Talks with Professor David Gadd: Domestic Abuse and Teen Relationships
More News
Sep 09, 2024
Have smartphones and social media led to an anxious generation?
In this analysis, Dr Margarita Panayiotou, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Methods in the Institute of Education at The University of Manchester, goes beyond the headlines to consider what the evidence really shows about the impact of smartphones on young people's mental health.
Apr 30, 2024
Sextortion: what is it and why is it in the news?
The National Crime Agency has issued an alert to UK teachers following an increase in sextortion: a type of online blackmail in which the offender threatens to release nude or intimate photos of the victim.
Mar 08, 2024
#InspireInclusion: Celebrating International Women’s Day
You are probably already aware that it’s International Women’s Day today. This year’s theme is #InspireInclusion and the event focuses on celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about discrimination and taking action to drive gender parity. Working as part of a small (but growing) team of fantastic women (and men), these are things that we are passionate about at Tooled Up, and we have plenty of resources for the Tooled Up community which will help to break down stereotypes and recognise the successes of some remarkable women.
Nov 17, 2023
Tooled Up Education – 2024 BETT Awards Finalist
We are delighted to announce the exciting news that Tooled Up Education has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 BETT Innovation Award.
Sep 27, 2023
Tooled Up Education Joins Forces with ISEB to Champion Pupil Wellbeing in Admissions Tests and Exams
We are really excited to launch the Parent Power Toolkit, a new set of resources that we’ve produced for The Independent Schools Examination Board (ISEB), which are all designed to empower parents to support their children’s mental health and wellbeing throughout their admissions test journeys and equip families with the tools needed to help children navigate change.
Jul 07, 2023
Tooled Up’s Head of Research Nominated for ACAMH 2023 Award
Exciting news! It seems apt that in the same week as Research Appreciation Day, our very own Dr Hope Christie has been nominated for the prestigious Eric Taylor ‘Translational Research into Practice’ award. This award recognises individuals with a sustained contribution to translating research into practice over a number of years, whose work involves both research and involvement in either clinical or educational practice.
Jun 27, 2023
When it Comes to Anxious Young People, Avoidance Should Be a Last Resort
We’ve spoken to mental health expert, Dr Lucy Foulkes about managing anxiety in school settings. Here’s what she had to say.
Mar 20, 2023
A Few of Our Favourite Things
Sometimes, a sense of excitement builds at Tooled Up Towers when we discover some hidden gems buried in the research papers that we come across in our work. Sometimes, we shop in bookshops, attend talks or see things when out and about that we really want to tell our families and schools about. So here … Read more [https://tooledupeducation.com/general/a-few-of-our-favourite-things/]
Dec 07, 2022
Studying Shakespeare?
Is your teen working towards their GCSEs? Macbeth is a key GCSE text for many of our teens and we are extremely excited to share the arrival of our new Supporting Macbeth resources for our Tooled Up community. These are revision resources for Macbeth written with parental engagement and home study in mind.
Nov 24, 2022
Shining a Light on Kindness
Given that World Kindness Day was celebrated earlier this month, on November 13th, now seems a good time to talk about the results of a very large and exciting public science project. The Kindness Test was commissioned by BBC Radio 4 in conjunction with a team from the University of Sussex, led by our brilliant former podcast guest, Professor Robin Banerjee. A whopping 60,000 people aged 18-99, from 144 different countries filled out the online questionnaire, making it the world’s largest in-depth study on kindness to date.