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I read a book recently about big ideas, and Buddhism got a mention. The ultimate goal in Buddhism, according to this book, is to eliminate craving and live in the now. When we crave, we suffer. Indeed, to crave is to suffer. A perfectly normal human condition which Buddha urges we avoid at all costs due to the philosophical price tag. I mention this because the other day I was in a doctor's waiting room, and I was suffering because I faced the prospect of paying the gap, something I normally crave to never pay. Thinking back in Buddhist terms I must have been suffering even before I arrived because of that craving. I was suffering even more when I realised the gap was looming. In an effort to live in the now, I sat down and started thumbing through the mags, which was probably a mistake. Interesting the magazines you get in waiting rooms. They kind of tell you about the place you're waiting at and what it thinks you might be capable of. Like paying the gap. Clearly I was not at the barbers because there was not one mag about dirt bike racing, fishing of golf. More from Simon Walker: The complete That's Life archive The mags in this waiting room were exclusively about high-end architecture, renovations and cutting edge interior design, and rightly or wrongly, I started to make a connection between these things and paying the gap. I'd been to a bulk-billing general practice a couple of weeks before and there'd been no magazines at all, just incessant morning TV blaring on a flat screen. Talk about suffering. But I wasn't paying any gap, so I craved only one thing, they turn off the TV. Back at this other waiting room, the glossy mags only served to highlight a second gap - between the houses in the mags, and my humble pile. I think they call it a Grand Design moment, characterised by craving things you'll never be able to afford. Coincidentally, Kevin McLeod is touring Australia at the moment fielding many questions about his fabulous TV show, the central one being, where do the people get the resources to fund these dream homes? Inheritance seemed a bit vulgar, so Kevin suggested many got lucky playing the real estate game - back in the 1600s I think. Like Grand Designs, the mags in this waiting room waxed lyrical a lot about architects who'd returned from exotic places, charged up spiritually to collaborate with clients who didn't seem to have jobs, but many of whom had just returned from New York having slummed it in a loft apartment on Central Park, which they'd renovated too. Both the loft and Central Park. Everyone seemed intent on "embracing the lived experience". It got me contemplating the lived experience of my carpets back at my house and how long they'd been under foot, or vice versa, and from two gaps, I nearly started contemplating jumping off a third. Just in time my name was called out and I was back in the now of the waiting room, craving nothing more than a clean bill of health, grandly resigned to suffering no more about hard to achieve big ideas.

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OPINION

February 22 2020 - 12:30AM

I read a book recently about big ideas, and Buddhism got a mention.

The ultimate goal in Buddhism, according to this book, is to eliminate craving and live in the now. When we crave, we suffer. Indeed, to crave is to suffer. A perfectly normal human condition which Buddha urges we avoid at all costs due to the philosophical price tag.

I mention this because the other day I was in a doctor's waiting room, and I was suffering because I faced the prospect of paying the gap, something I normally crave to never pay.

Thinking back in Buddhist terms I must have been suffering even before I arrived because of that craving.

I was suffering even more when I realised the gap was looming.

In an effort to live in the now, I sat down and started thumbing through the mags, which was probably a mistake.

Interesting the magazines you get in waiting rooms. They kind of tell you about the place you're waiting at and what it thinks you might be capable of. Like paying the gap.

Clearly I was not at the barbers because there was not one mag about dirt bike racing, fishing of golf.

The mags in this waiting room were exclusively about high-end architecture, renovations and cutting edge interior design, and rightly or wrongly, I started to make a connection between these things and paying the gap.

I'd been to a bulk-billing general practice a couple of weeks before and there'd been no magazines at all, just incessant morning TV blaring on a flat screen. Talk about suffering. But I wasn't paying any gap, so I craved only one thing, they turn off the TV.

Back at this other waiting room, the glossy mags only served to highlight a second gap - between the houses in the mags, and my humble pile. I think they call it a Grand Design moment, characterised by craving things you'll never be able to afford.

Coincidentally, Kevin McLeod is touring Australia at the moment fielding many questions about his fabulous TV show, the central one being, where do the people get the resources to fund these dream homes?

Inheritance seemed a bit vulgar, so Kevin suggested many got lucky playing the real estate game - back in the 1600s I think.

Like Grand Designs, the mags in this waiting room waxed lyrical a lot about architects who'd returned from exotic places, charged up spiritually to collaborate with clients who didn't seem to have jobs, but many of whom had just returned from New York having slummed it in a loft apartment on Central Park, which they'd renovated too. Both the loft and Central Park. Everyone seemed intent on "embracing the lived experience".

It got me contemplating the lived experience of my carpets back at my house and how long they'd been under foot, or vice versa, and from two gaps, I nearly started contemplating jumping off a third.

Just in time my name was called out and I was back in the now of the waiting room, craving nothing more than a clean bill of health, grandly resigned to suffering no more about hard to achieve big ideas.

See the rest here:
Simon Walker invests the grand resign of living in the now - Newcastle Herald

Kathmandu, February 17

The main organising committee of the International Buddhist Conference has started preparations for the event that is going to be held from May 5 to 7 on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.

The three-day event will take place in Lumbini, in which participants from 21 countries will come to attend the conference.

A meeting of main organising committee held today at the Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) informed that participants from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, South Korea, Bhutan, Mongolia, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, America, United Kingdom, Russia, Costa Rica, France and Germany have confirmed their participation.

Likewise, several researchers and students of Buddhism will also take part in the event.

However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese participants may decide to cancel their registration.

Addressing the meeting today, Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai said, This conference will help to promote Nepal as a religious destination.

As the country is celebrating the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign, this conference could help us to bring in a large number of tourists into the country.

As a conference hall that can accommodate 5,000 people has been built in Lumbini, the conference this year will not face the problems faced in the previous two conferences, he said, adding, Moreover, we are trying to bring the Gautam Buddha International Airport into operation in time for the conference.

The meeting has decided to observe Buddha Jayanti this year with a week-long celebration. On the first day of Buddha Jayanti week on May 1, a cleaning campaign will be organised in Lumbini, Bhairahawa, Kapilvastu and Ramgram areas. It will be followed by a blood donation programme on May 2 and tree plantation on May 3 in Rupandehi and Kapilvastu.

On May 4, a peace marathon and cultural events will be organised in Lumbini. Meanwhile, during the three days of the conference, peace rallies and chanting of Paritran Paath will be organised.

A version of this article appears in print on February 18, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.

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The rest is here:
Buddhist conference to be attended by 21 countries - Himalayan Times

Staff, parents and children from Busy Bees nursery in Corby are celebrating after receiving an outstanding rating from Ofsted.

Inspectors visited the nursery on the Oakley Vale estate last month and rated it as outstanding in all areas, improving on its previous rating of good from January 2016.

It received top marks for the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

Youngsters from Busy Bees nursery in Corby celebrating the outstanding Ofsted report

The inspection report said: "Children love being in this setting and are very eager to get involved in all the exciting activities."

It noted that staff make children's language development a real priority, the children's behaviour is excellent and the safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Inspectors also found that children with special educational needs or disabilities receive highly skilful and sensitive support.

The report said children experience lots of exciting opportunities to learn about other people and the community around them.

And added: "Leaders and managers are inspiring and always encourage staff to do well and improve their practice.

"Managers and staff constantly reflect on their practice and identify things they can do better."

Centre director Rhonda Rowlatt said: We are proud of our outstanding grading and delighted that Ofsted recognise the high quality we provide every child in our care, giving all children the best start in life.

The nursery caters for children up to the age of five and has 90 youngsters on its roll.

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Corby nursery rated outstanding in all areas - Northamptonshire Telegraph

A new study by Gallup and TrueSpace looks at the conditions post-startup companies need in order to make the transition from the treacherous "adolescent" phase of rapid but sporadic and unpredictable growth to a more stable developmental phase. The results from 2,494 business owners on the Five Conditions Assessment (5CA) show how their companies' growth performance relates to systems that help them understand the drivers of growth, monitor factors most likely to influence it and make continual adjustments to how it allocates time, talent and capital to improve predictability and reduce risk.

The first article on the Gallup/TrueSpace study provides an overview of the broad concepts addressed by the Five Conditions framework. Here we look at three specific factors that are among the most strongly related to recent growth performance among companies in the study:

A clear, compelling point of view directed toward the target market. Companies with high Point of View scores are 2.5 times more likely than others to have had revenue growth of at least 10% in each of the past two years.

Intentional strategies for acquiring and developing talent. Companies with high Talent scores are 2.7 times more likely than others to have grown at least 10% in each of the past two years.

High levels of trust among employees and other stakeholders in the credibility of the organization's leaders. Companies with high Credibility scores are also 2.7 times more likely than others to have grown at least 10% in each of the past two years.

The 5CA is designed to measure the growth potential of post-startup businesses -- those that have survived their first three years and have at least $2 million in annual revenue but have not yet reached the lower mid-market threshold of $10 million. The more than 2 million companies in this fledgling group have the potential to create millions of new jobs if they can achieve consistent, long-term growth -- but they are less likely than startups or larger businesses to capture the attention of investors, policymakers and the media.

The framework for the 5CA borrows from System Dynamics, a field brought to the mainstream by the late Professor Jay Forrester of MIT. This involves evaluating businesses by seeing them as a series of feedback systems. Each of the Five Conditions represents a broad requirement for predictable performance and consistent growth. Within each Condition is a set of feedback loops, and each loop includes specific elements that can increase or diminish a business' growth potential. Once a business is modeled in this manner, limits to its growth become visible, and entrepreneurs can act and make decisions with more precision.

For example, one of the feedback loops in the Alignment condition is Focus -- the extent to which the company's resources are focused on a clearly defined target market and broadly understood objectives. Within that loop, the 5CA addresses four elements -- labeled Market, Point of View, Customers and Talent -- that can change the organization's level of Focus.

Point of View and Talent are among the three elements (out of 30 overall in the framework) most strongly related to businesses' growth performance over the past two years. A closer look at these elements gives one a better idea of how the 5CA measures the concepts associated with the Five Conditions. See Appendix A in the Five Conditions Assessment report to find out where each of these elements fits into the overall framework.

In order to align a company's resources for high performance, leaders must first develop, promote and sustain a point of view that distinguishes the company from others in the industry. Critically, that point of view isn't just a sales tactic -- it's a system that governs how customers, employees and partners perceive the business, helping them focus on the needs of high-value customers while removing nontarget customers from consideration.

A distinctive point of view also purposely alters risk perception by enabling companies to demonstrate credibility, position themselves as trusted providers and become recognized as the best -- the lowest-risk, highest-value option -- in their niche. For businesses that are not market leaders, a point of view serves as the only effective and sustainable mechanism for providing high-value customers the assurance they need to feel confident in changing from the status quo. Specific 5CA questions addressing Point of View include:

Companies that are building the capacity for consistent growth clearly recognize the central role of talent in achieving it. Role definitions and expectations are clarified and formalized, which makes it easier to identify specific talent needs. Finding and selecting employees with the skills and experience valued by the target market becomes a full-time effort.

Once they have effective processes for finding and hiring new talent, high-performing companies shift their focus to development and retention. Leaders recognize that talent development -- rather than just talent acquisition -- is a critical driver of growth, and opportunities for personal growth and development become part of the value proposition it presents to prospective employees. Specific 5CA questions addressing talent include:

The Credibility element measures employees' confidence in the future of the company and the entrepreneur's or CEO's ability to lead it there. This relationship demonstrates one accumulating advantage of businesses that achieve repeated growth periods: The resulting credibility bolsters confidence among employees and shareholders for the longer-term growth journey. High-performing companies recognize the importance of leadership credibility and use employee feedback systems to track it.

Importantly, leadership credibility is bolstered not just by the entrepreneurs' own experience and abilities, but also by their willingness to seek advice and to hire outside leadership talent when needed. Ultimately, credibility is determined by whether the leadership has found a way to consistently meet performance expectations. Specific 5CA questions addressing credibility include:

For more information about the Five Conditions Assessment, please download the full report from TrueSpace and Gallup.

Steve Crabtree is a senior editor and research analyst for Gallup. He is the lead editor of Gallup's State of the Global Workplace reports.

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What Information Do Business Leaders Need to Bolster Growth? - Gallup

As a human resources expert or manager, it is very important to identify the employees and identify the factors that help them shine. Of course, the most important factor in this glare is motivation. According to Hay Group Research, 50 percent of successful employees are among the most motivated. Motivation expert James Sale shares 9 prominent types of employees at work and tips on how to motivate them.

Managers know how important motivation is to their employees success. Hay Group Research proves this by putting it into statistics. According to the research, almost half of the employees who shine in the office emphasizes that the most effective factor in this is that they are well motivated. Motivation specialist James Sale states that there are 9 main types of employees in the study he conducted on the subject. Having an idea of these types of employees and ways of motivation can be intimidating for managers and HR professionals.

Here are 9 types of employees and what can be done to motivate them:

Advocate

According to Sale, this type of employee seeks security, predictability and stability. The manager expects a certain job definition, a well-functioning organization and a predictable career path. Regular communication is the most obvious way to get motivated. Managers should regularly communicate with them, share good news, and explain how things are going to motivate such employees. Regular information and mails can also be effective in this regard. Given that this type of employee is loyal, rewarding the service is an extremely important step in the motivation process.

Friend

For this type of employee, it is very important to establish a sense of belonging, good friendships and meaningful relationships. He loves organizations with strong team perception, social events and helping others. The biggest way to get motivated is to get involved, supported and get their opinions. Its social organization will ensure a strong corporate culture and people-oriented activities shine.

Star

This type of employee often demands respect, social value and approval. He expects career paths to be clear, hierarchical order specific and clear titles. Yldz employee type can be motivated with awards and titles. It will nourish them to show them the career path they are thinking about, to include them in projects for their approval needs, to set regular goals. In this way, the star in it emerges easily.

Director

This employee type likes to have power, influence, control over resources and people. It is important to have a critical role at the core of the business and is generally suitable for leadership roles. For the leadership role, this employee needs to take serious responsibilities and be rewarded according to the results. For this ambitious, hardworking and careful type of employee, power and responsibility are highly motivating. Apart from that, it is extremely important for him to participate in coaching and training programs.

Architect

The only source of motivation for this type of employee is money and financial satisfaction. It can set aside all other expectations and perform very successfully in the name of a promotion or any award. This type of employee designs his life with this perception. If he is an employee at critical points in the company, he has a high financial expectation and will easily give you what you want as long as you motivate him.

Expert

This type of employee wants to have knowledge, expertise and title. Therefore, working environments where personal development is important are very valuable and motivating for them. He wants to work as a coach and mentor, and to participate in various trainings. As long as this motivation is achieved, this type of employee with a leadership spirit will make serious contributions to the company.

Creative

The driving forces for this employee are creativity, innovation and change. It follows new trends in the sector and tries to apply it to the business atmosphere. He is enthusiastic about approaching events and solving problems with new perspectives. Supporting this employee can be provided by providing him with an atmosphere where he can show his creativity. Working in an atmosphere where there is no routine, change and development opportunity will cause this employee to be restricted.

Free spirit

The key words for this employee are freedom, independence and autonomy. However, it is successful in environments where there is no pressure and it can work freely. In general, it operates efficiently in another working environment instead of the office. It is possible for this employee to be motivated with an atmosphere where he can show his talents freely instead of the rules.

Researcher

This type of employee seeks meaning and purpose in his work and wants to make a difference. In general, he wants to work in places with specific goals and a time management accordingly. If his individual goals coincide with the company goals, he does his job even more. How can I do this better? It is important to work in an environment that is suitable for the researchers structure and supports development and innovation. Especially by giving responsibility in the point of improvement and development, the motivation of this employee can be increased.

More:
9 employees' types and motivation ways - Thrive Global

There is no doubt that we are experiencing a paradigm shift in society. Individuals are now desecrating sacred things and hurting those who serve us.

There is an increase in the number of thefts at schools and religious institutions. Physical and verbal abuse of teachers are on the rise, as well as the killing of teachers and pastors. And I must hasten to add that women and children are no longer pardoned by those who seek to unleash terror. The environment has become so toxic, yet we must survive.

Our workplaces and school environments are reflections of our society, so they too have become toxic for stakeholders. Schools ought to be nurturing environments, where teachers use requisite skills and love to guide the next generation. However, they are now facing harsh times with disrespectful students and their parents who will come into schools and attack them.

The fact is the physical environment in many schools need improvement. There is often the non-existence of perimeter walls providing unhindered entrance to the property. For some institutions, the only security present are the vendors or a watchman.

Despite the challenges, our teachers still show up daily to ensure students success, but it is imperative that their safety is assured. The call of Jamaica Teachers' Association President Owen Speid for urgency to be placed on better security mechanism at schools is quite in order.

Signs of toxicity

In many workplaces, it is difficult for one to excel and function due to infighting, undermining, or blatant disregard for fair treatment, which is promoted by leadership. Several sources read revealed that toxicity can be identified if several people are experiencing depression, headaches, nervousness, or fear.

It is also evident when the job demands affect individuals living a balanced life or if workers feel underappreciated. Other signs cited, were that serious physical illnesses may start presenting, personal relationships begin to decay all around, and misery abounds with a deliberate effort share it.

According to Jennifer L M Gunn (2019), There are few more divisive practices than alienating staff members through poor communication. No one likes to feel uninformed, undervalued, or unheard. Top-down leadership can throw a nasty wrench into school culture and effectively dismiss the concerns, ideas, and contributions of a school's staff. In such environments, living things struggle to strive.

Survival is key

When water becomes toxic it becomes challenging for animals to survive, whether it is their natural habitat, or they depend on it to live. So it is in society. As we live amongst each other, the environment becomes toxic through words, inappropriate actions, and the ways things in which situations are dealt with improperly or with injustice. Surviving is not just staying afloat, but prospering and blooming. This does not necessarily mean getting a promotion, because in that environment promotions are not given to the qualified or hard-working, but to those who will play the game.

Breathing in toxic water is about you not losing your sense of self, guarding your joy and peace of mind. It is not easy, because toxic waters are set to destroy; but it is imperative that you are in a state of catch and release. This means to be in a state in which you are prepared to quickly release those who offend you or perpetuate the cycle of toxicity.

One way in which people may function is to be careful of your associations. If you associate with negative people it's inevitable that your mindset will begin to change from having hope to becoming a pessimist. It can tamper with your joy as you ingest the negative juices being spewed out.

Psychologist Nicole Martinez recommends the maintenance of a positive mindset. Another strategy is to find outside sources of motivations. Get involved in environments that will validate you, keep you grounded, remind you of who you are and what you are about. It's a place where you find encouragement, strength and refreshment.

Sometimes it's within a group, like the church. Many have found that the Word of God and the people of God have provided that atmosphere. Taking your vacation days and department leave, as well as learning a new skill for personal development or to facilitate job change can be helpful. Institutional leaders can facilitate staff growth and development through much professional development workshops focusing on building staff morale, staff recognition functions, and managing how promotions are attained. Additionally, organisations can design or adapt staff incentive programmes to inspire staff, which will have a positive impact on production. It is important to know that survival is of utmost importance and it is in your hands to live. Breathe!

Andrea Palmer-Richards is a senior lecturer at Sam Sharpe Teachers' College. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or andrea.richards@samsharpe.edu.jm.

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Breathing above the toxic environment - Jamaica Observer

Published 21 February 2020

Martin Mackay extolls the benefits of working in the Highlands.

Theres a common misconception that having a thriving career in law means you have to work in a large city such as London or Edinburgh.

Having left a firm in Edinburgh to practise law in the Highlands over 20 years ago, I can confirm that simply isnt the case.

In fact, Ive listed five reasons why its a great place to develop your career as a lawyer.

The scope of work

Being involved in client work that is exciting, challenging and innovative is what every ambitious lawyer enjoys. Whats currently happening in the Highlands presents potential opportunities for lawyers to apply their skills and develop their careers.

5G roll-out for Inverness, development of the UKs first spaceport, the duelling of the A9 and A96, housing developments, investment in tourist attractions and accommodation, renewables contracts, decommissioning work, the buying and selling of land farms and estates as well as multimillion projects to transform the regions ports and harbours.and thats just for starters.

Theres a huge volume and variety of interesting activities underway - all of which require legal advice, whether that extends to private client, corporate matters, real estate or a specific industry/ area of expertise.

Connectivity

Living and working in the Highlands doesnt mean youre cut off from the rest of the country far from it. Youre only a video call, phone call or email away and if youre attending a client meeting or team session in another part of Scotland or further afield, strong transport links nearby give you the option of travelling in person by air, train or road.

Being part of Scotlands largest firm also means you have colleagues to provide support whenever required, so if youre working on a project that requires strength in numbers, cross-team collaboration, or specific expertise, you can rely on people across the firm, regardless of location, to become involved.

A great way of life

Being in a big city where the pace of life can be frantic often lends itself to higher stress levels and studies have shown that living in a rural area is associated with higher levels of wellbeing and life satisfaction.

On a day-to-day basis, the commute to work is a far cry from the noise and bustle of a crowded city who wants to see grey buildings and roadworks when you can enjoy views of mountain tops and the open countryside?

The countryside surrounding the office provides a great escape for lunchtime walks, which a few of my colleagues do regularly, and I personally enjoy being out and about meeting clients at their place of work - another opportunity to enjoy the beautiful area we live in.

Activity-filled weekends and evenings

At the end of a busy week, or during the long summer evenings you wont be short of things to do.

Inverness is a thriving hub of shops, and together with the wider local area has a multitude of cafes, restaurants and bars and there are high profile events including festivals and concerts frequently hosted in the area.

If youre an outdoors person, youre in the best place. The Highlands and North Coast 500 are consistently ranked among the top ten places to visit or experience, so theres plenty to explore whether youre a Munro bagger, camper or water sports/ski/snowboarding enthusiast.

For sports, the region is full of community organisations and clubs, plus two professional football teams, rugby clubs and world-class golf courses, so you wont be short of activities to fill your spare time.

Career and personal development

In addition to the technical side of the job, working in the Highlands offers the chance build strong links directly with clients, their businesses and advisers. There are lots of networking opportunities, supported by the likes of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and various local organisations. Theres also a strong focus on sharing knowledge and recognising achievements, through seminars, workshops and award programmes.

Martin Mackay is a consultant at Brodies LLP

Read more:
Martin Mackay: Five reasons to work in law in the Highlands - Scottish Legal News

Apparently there is a television show on Netflix called Sex Education. According to the BBC, it was reportedly watched by 40 million households in the first few weeks. I havent seen it and do not intend to, but the hype surrounding it is indicative of where popular culture is right now.

Anything with the word sex in it is going to get a disproportionate amount of attention. Nothing new there. People often accuse the Church of being obsessed with sex, as if that were all her moral teaching was about.

The Churchs vision for authentic human sexuality (not just the sexual act) is an important foundation upon which questions about life and love rest. As St John Paul taught, the male-female relationship is the deepest substratum of human ethics and culture. Thus, he proclaimed, Human life is by its nature co-educational and its dignity as well as its balance depends, at every moment of history and in every place of geographical longitude and latitude, on who she will be for him and he for her.

I am always struck by this co-educational aspect of moral formation, because it means that whatever our state in life married (with or without children), single, ordained or consecrated religious we are all called to human flourishing through life-enriching relationships.

From this September schools across England will have to teach what the Department for Education (DfE) now calls RSHE: Relationships, Sex and Health Education. Even though the DfE has been at pains to say there is no legal obligation upon primary schools to teach sex education, there has been a great deal of focus in the media on the impact this is going to have on young children.

Negatively speaking, there is no escaping the fact that many parents are nervous. There have already been some high-profile cases about the adverse and even emotionally damaging effect that some of the materials being aggressively promoted to schools are having. Social media is full of comments from parents who have been deeply distressed by some of the explicit images and language that their children have been exposed to, and how it has affected their child emotionally (to say nothing of the spiritual harm).

There is also the menacing influence of gender ideology creeping into schools and the power and influence that transgender activist groups have over public bodies. Pope Francis has been most emphatic about the dangers of this. In a speech to a gathering of the International Catholic Child Bureau in April 2014, he denounced such experimental education programmes, saying children are not guinea pigs.

One has only to consider how the new password-protected toolkit for teachers issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (under the Ministry of Justice) will guide teachers on how to police what goes on in the classroom for alleged hate crimes against transgender persons. Will this spell danger for pupils who openly declare their conviction, based on science as well as faith, that as far as gender is concerned, there is only the biological objective reality of the sex of male and female? Who knows?

The new statutory regulations from the DfE are supposed to allow schools with a religious character to teach and present issues around relationships and sexuality that conform with their doctrines and the moral, religious convictions of the families whom they serve. That being the case, what can be done from a positive perspective?

A Fertile Heart: Receiving and Giving Creative Love is a new resource for Catholic and other faith schools to assist them in the provision of RSHE. The vision is simple: to provide an inspiring and dynamic programme for the spiritual, moral, emotional and intellectual development of young people, enabling them to fully appreciate and understand whatmakes for life-enriching relationships.

The mission is creative: teaching young people that true freedom is so much more than just the mere freedom to choose; it is also the real and authentic freedom to choose well. The purpose is clear: to enable educators and parents to transmit the profound truths of the human person to children in a comprehensible, attractive and convincing way so that their desire to live by these truths grows daily. In this great endeavour we are all partners in a shared task.

A Fertile Heart is a faith-inspired programme of study that offers schools (especially those with a strong Christian identity), a new way of approaching RSHE that invites teachers and pupils to explore together the big questions of life. These include: what does it means to be human; why does sexual difference matter; and what lies at the heart of authentic personal dignity?

The content reinforces universal values of personal development, growth in character, mutual respect, love and patience.

It thus complements good Religious Education, as well as parochial catechesis of the young for the sacraments of initiation. A Fertile Heart aims to contribute to the challenge laid before us in Amoris Laetitia that there should be an education in hope within which a sound response to the need for wholesome sexuality education can take shape.

In our current climate of new demands being made on our schools, we hope that A Fertile Heart will be used alongside other recommended material. Soon online resources will range from training and orientation videos to lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations with carefully crafted guidance notes to help teachers, including those who are not specialists in RSHE or Religious Education, to share the vision with material that is more accessible. It has been developed over a three-year period with educators, schools and moral theologians.

Several bishops have given positive feedback and endorsements, including Archbishop George Stack of Cardiff, who says: A Fertile Heart is offered as an important aid to pupils, parents, teachers, governors and clergy to remind us all that We are Gods work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning God had meant us to live it (Ephesians 2:10).

There is no denying that the whole area of RSHE is fraught with enormous challenges and tensions in the wake of relentless pressure of state imposition of progressively libertarian social policies.

Yes, times are tough and challenging for seriously minded Catholic parents and educators, but let us take courage from the words of St Thomas More, who wrote: You wouldnt abandon ship in a storm just because you couldnt control the winds.

Edmund Adamus is education consultant for fertileheart.org.uk, a new moral formation curriculum designed by Panda Press Publishing. Visit the website to become a supporter of the project, which hopes to invest profits back into continually improving resources and widening their availability. The project also hopes to establish a charitable trust to benefit credible causes connected with authentic Christian formation and evangelisation

Originally posted here:
Relationships education: there's a better way - Catholic Herald Online

1. Align your strategy with the national wellbeing agenda:Recently, the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing announced the launch of 'Business for Wellbeing Council' - a public-private partnership that is designed to improve workplace wellbeing in the private sector. The council hosts eight top national and multinational enterprises serving across diverse sectors. These include Majid Al Futtaim Group, Landmark Group, Emirates NBD, Etihad Airways, Aldar Properties, Emirates Airlines, Unilever, and Cisco. The initiative is in line with the objectives of the National Strategy for Wellbeing, which was issued last year by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing is aimed towards promoting wellness in the workspace. Creating awellness framework on the basis of the principles outlined by the UAE government can give you the right foundation to get started.

2. Create an effective recognition system: Rewards and benefits are necessary to keep employees feeling valued and appreciated. They go a long way in keeping your teams happy, which reduces the turnover rate and shows better bottom line results. With most of todays workforce today being comprising of millennials, especially in the startup ecosystem, its time to change the age-old thinking about rewards from being money, insurance and housing perks, to what is valued more. Very often, rewards arent enough to motivate and incentivize an employee. It is important to give your employees something beyond a tangible reward to show them that their efforts are being recognised. This is why you need to encourage managers and departments to recognize their employees. This could be in the form of a weekly announcement or even as simple as a company-wide e-mail.

3. Invest in training programmes: Training is an approach that yields long-term results, constantly upgrading employees to equip them with the skills they need. This technique has personal development and growth at the helm of it and will encourage employees to be more productive and happy.. Bob Moritz of PwC shares his thoughts in an article for UPS: Its also about much more than hard skills like learning new digital tools and competencies. The soft skills leadership, adaptability, how to translate feedback into measurable change are what make the short-term skills training more long lasting and transformative. People are looking to leaders to provide a trusted path forward. Leaders need to understand the needs of employees: where they want to go, what motivates them and what is going to enable them. They need to learn how to lead in fast-changing times, empower people and create a culture of lifelong learning where entrepreneurship will thrive.

Also read: The X factor of great corporate cultures

4. Emphasise on a healthy work-life balance: People today have many passions, hobbies, and extracurriculars that they care about. It may be taking music classes, learning to code in their spare time, or even just cooking. If your employees spend a lot of hours in the office office, they will either experience burnout or eventually see a drop in productivity. So ensuring that work-life balance is a priority is a must; encourage your team to explore their interests outside of work to live a more fulfilling life. It can make a world of difference to how much they value themselves and your business.

5. Promote a happier, friendlier work environment: Happy employees make a happy company. There is nothing worse than watching the hours go by until you can leave work nor see an employee who does that. Take steps to promote friendliness and fun at work and youll feel the difference in employee morale. As the boss, also try to let go of superiority and embibe humility. Itll go a long way in easing the relationship your employees have with you, and make them feel more comfortable as well as respected. A thank you and please go a long way in promoting happier emotions at work.

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Wellness in the workplace integrating initiatives that work - SME10X

DMU has celebrated its commitment to peoples beliefs and the part it plays in their wellbeing with the official launch of OpenFaith.

Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby joined Interim Vice-Chancellor Andy Collop at the event which was held in the Breathing Space at DMU, along with Phil Scarffe, DMUs Head of Student Welfare, and Mej Rahim, Student Cohesion Officer.

Faith and wellbeing advisors with Sir Peter Soulsby in the Muslim prayer room

OpenFaith is a part of #HealthyDMU and incorporates faith and spirituality into wellbeing and welfare services.

OpenFaith encourages students of all faiths and no faith to come together in celebrating diversity and humanitarian values.

The initiative encourages students and staff to access a variety of spiritual facilities including the prayer room, chaplaincy and the Breathing Space.

It is open to all regardless of belief and encourages staff and students to be able to explore spirituality, faith, religion and all belief systems in an open and accessible way.

As part of #HealthyDMU, all OpenFaith related activities, such as meetings, masterclasses and visits, focus on the health and wellbeing of students as well as supporting growth and personal development.

Following a tour of the facilities, Sir Peter said: This event today represents all the very best in Leicester and all the very best in DMU. You not only have a very diverse university but you are in a uniquely diverse city.

I do not for a moment pretend everything is perfect, although we do things better than any other city I know.

The diversity and cohesion that we are so proud of is always a work in progress so OpenFaith and this Breathing Space are important.

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DMU is exemplary in the physical connection it has with the city but what is amazing is the extent to which the people in the university set out to be an integral part of the city too.

This is more than just a physical space. It is about a community and the communities within that. With that I congratulate you and wish you well for the future.

Interim Vice-Chancellor Andy Collop said: We are very proud of our diverse community of students and staff and one of the great things we can do as an institution is to support that diversity and allow it to flourish.

People are at the heart of the university and faith plays an important role for many of those peoples wellbeing.

Harminder Singh Jagdev is Sikh faith advisor at DMU. He said: This space is brilliant. Since I started in September I have seen more and more people coming here and using it. I hope that growth continues.

Mej Rahim, Student Cohesion Officer at DMU, said: I think this space is integral to the student experience.

People look for a place that they belong and this has become really popular with the students. We have people of different faiths and no faiths coming together and talking to each other and breaking down barriers.

Posted on Thursday 20th February 2020

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DMU launches OpenFaith to recognise people's beliefs and its part in their wellbeing - De Montfort University