Farewell to Fenja

We are very sorry to see Fenja  come to the end of her stay in New Zealand, and for us, the loss of beautiful person who has given so richly to Child Connection Trust.   It was Fenja who developed our Social Media presence on the Web, and gave us a blueprint for our PR work.   So farewell for now Fenja and enjoy your well deserved holiday.   We are waiting to hear how you are getting on, and reading your correspondence on  your work with children in Chile and Germany.

Intergenerational Forum Part II

Wow, are we excited here at Child Connection Trust!

You may remember my post a few weeks ago (Intergenerational Forum) when I mentioned attending the inaugural meeting of the Intergenerational Forum. As a result of that meeting, we now have our first project.

Before I go into the details of this new project, a bit of background. 

As I am sure you are aware, the Child Connection Trust is fundamentally concerned with the vital need for early childhood bonding - the attachment a child develops with its nearest caregiver(s). In the modern scientific world we live in, this essential need was first put forward by John Bowlby, a British psychoanalyst in the 1950s. His message was very simple: Human contact ranks alongside food and water as a physiologic need for children.

Since that time there have been many scientific studies that have backed up his claims. The obvious people at the forefront of  bonding is perceived to be Mother and Child. But father, siblings, grandparents and anyone who loves a baby and can spend time with it can create bonding.

Physical touch, breast feeding, bathing baby - there are so many ways that the bonding process can develop between them. But grandparents of all cultures form a special group of people adding a unique experience to the many strands that make up the total that is child bonding. One of these is the simple act of "just playing" with the child.

But in the modern world there can be problems. Young parents are more likely to live far away from grandparents. Secondly, and more insidious, is the emergence of the "digital world". It is just so easy to plonk the child in front of the TV or the computer. 

We feel that the art of "playing" with children is in danger of becoming lost, and as time goes on young parents will be at loss to know the many ways of playing.

So, to get back to the story, we are currently developing a new intergenerational programme called "Love Heritage". This programme is prepared for families in particular to recall, acknowledge and record games that our grandparents used to play with their children, and maybe, still play with their grandchildren.

We are now contacting different ethnic groups and asking them if they are interested in participating in this worthwhile project. It would be great if you, or someone you know, would be happy to demonstrate games that you play with your children.

If you feel you can help in any way, large or small, please let us know and we will contact you with more details.

Just leave a comment below or use the contact form on our Website.   
We are looking forward to hearing from YOU!

 

The CMC Facilitator Series - Part 1

Say hi to...

Yoka Hermanides

Yoka is an energetic and powerful woman getting hands-on. She has been keen to work with Child Connection for a long time and is happy to finally be able to deliver the Children Massaging Children programme to the kids. Combining professional skills with a lot of passion for the craft makes her an excellent facilitator.

Yoka has a Diploma in Sports/ Deep Tissue Massage Therapy and is a Certified Yoga Teacher. She also offers One-on-one Pilates Instruction and is a professional member of Massage NZ. Additional modalities include Lymphatic Drainage, Reflexology, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, Pregnancy Massage, as well as Therapeutic and Relaxation Massage.

Born in the Netherlands Yoka came to New Zealand 25 years ago as a qualified chef. Due to her interest in alternative healing she studied many modalities including massage. In 1998 she gained her Diploma in Therapeutic Massage and Wholistic Sports and for the last 15 years has run her own business the 'New Lynn Sports Clinic'. Child Connection gives her the opportunity to share and enjoy the joy of children.

”Over the years your focus changes and with two pre-schoolers, the health and well being of children starts to surface,” Yoka describes her own experience.

The Children Massaging Children programme is ideal for pre- and primary schools and with the many connections her children have made through school and group activities the contacts are made easily. 

“It is lovely to see the smiles on the children’s faces and witness the happy comments they give. Not only from receiving but on giving the massage too,” Yoka states. “I never even thought I would work with children but facilitating this program has given me lots of joy.”

Yoka has been delivering the CMC course at ‘Learning Edge’ at Pre-Montessori School in Glen Eden short before mother’s day to teach the two to five-year-olds massage that they could give to their mums as a special present. 

 “Thank you for teaching my two children massage. I did receive a wonderful massage on mother’s day,” marvels Solomi, one of the mums. “You must have taught them well.” 

Not only the kids and parents at Pre-Montessori School have benefited from the programme. Yoka has been teaching around 30 children ages five to ten at the holiday program ‘Kereru Kids’ in the school hall at Woodlands Park Primary School as well and furthermore has visited the Dutch Language School in Titirangi, where she did massage with 25 kids between four and nine years old. 

“Look at the boys. I can’t believe they are the same boys. Usually they are wild and unruly, now they are sitting concentrating on giving a massage, or they melt away when receiving a massage”, says Ton, one of the teachers. “I want to do this every week.” 

The school has sent out photos of the course to all parents inviting them to come in earlier next time to receive a massage from their children.  

“On the first lesson, the children are curious and very excited,” Yoka notes. “The second time, they are straight away more concentrated on giving a massage and relaxed while receiving. Every time, there is at least one child asking to repeat the massages.” 

Yoka remembers very well one of the most beautiful moments CMC has given her until now. 

“The other day I passed by at Pre-Montessori School, where two weeks earlier I had done CMC three times”, she tells. “As soon as I walked in, two children ran up to me and hugged me and asked if I came to give more massage. I was pleasantly surprised. It made my day.”

For more photos see our Child Connection Facebook page!

The Dilemma of the Human Brain

Left or Right - The eternal fight

You probably know that your brain is divided into two different hemispheres that are interlinked and interact with each other, but still have their very own challenges and tasks to manage. But do you know what exactly your right brain hemisphere is doing? And why we need the left brain hemisphere? How are these two halves intertwined to provide us with such a holistic and complex cerebral system?

Renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains the dilemma of the human brain in an entertaining and colourful way underpinned with graphic elements. His lecture combines a humorous approach with a serious topic and ends with Albert Einstein’s words:

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant, but has forgotten the gift."

 The Divided Brain

 

Click 'Play' to see the whole video stream.

Children Massaging Children (CMC) Facilitator Course for Health Professionals in 2012

Child Connection Trust proudly presents…

its first New Zealand team of CMC Facilitators. Finally, after years of hard work we have made the crucial step and invited to our first Course for Health Professionals in April this year. And we are lucky to have found some truly amazing women, who are going to deliver our award-winning CMC programme to educational institutions around New Zealand.

Day 1

The course took place at idyllic Retreat Centre Kawai Purapura in Albany. Lying hidden in a piece of rich, green forest the facilities serve as a source of tranquillity and represent a haven far away from the every day stress. The perfect place for our CMC Course.

We quickly got to know each other over a good cup of tea before the course programme eventually started. The first day covered the laws of bonding and attachment, two very important components for proper development during early childhood. We had a big portion of nutritious theory peppered with videos and a healthy pinch of interactivity and discussion. Do you know which is the touchiest country on the globe? You may make an educated guess on who’s one of the lowest touch cultures. That’s what we are working on!

Day 2

Easter Sunday started bright with a sunbath on the Retreat Centre’s cosy terrace. Boosted with a whole lot of good vibrations we started into the second round suddenly finding ourselves in the role of children in the classroom with Eva being our teacher. She assigned us to sit down on the towels we had brought for today’s session getting together in pairs. “Is everyone comfortable and do you have enough room? My name is Eva Scherer and I am a message therapist,” our new class teacher started. “Who knows what a massage therapist does?” The first question and we actually were able to answer it. What a great feeling!

We enjoyed a very relaxing hour of Eva teaching us the “Children Massaging Children” techniques. We rubbed each other’s back, caressed each other’s hair and stroked each other’s hands. The experience was completed by the introduction of some delicious fragrances. We were sad when the lesson ended but proud as we were given our Diploma for Little People. Well, no, that’s actually not the diploma that makes you a CMC Facilitator. But after analysing the massage lesson and being introduced to our new role as official distributors of the CMC programme we had finally made it there as well. The Certificate of Completion was smiling at us. We were smiling back, as you can see…

Our amazing New Zealand team of CMC Facilitators!
(from left to right: Fenja Villeumier, Lesley Bongiovanni, Nick Russel, Julee Stanley, Toni O'Daly, Jenni Fernandez, Reah Monet, Yoka Hermanides, Eva Scherer)

See all pictures on our Child Connection Facebook page!

Children Growing Up in the Digital Age

 Our latest recommendation:

FREE Webinar “Children Growing Up in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Pitfalls”

by the Institute Of HeartMath

Presented by: Linda Stone

Hosted by: Institute of HeartMath Education Coordinator Jeff Goelitz

Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012

Times: 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Noon and 6 – 7 p.m. PDT (GMT minus 8 hours)

NZ Times:

Sunday, 22 April 2012 6 – 7 a.m.

Sunday, 22 April 2012 1 - 2 p.m.

Free Parent Child Workshop at Glenfield Community Centre

It was a very rewarding experience, both for the parents and the children that came along, and for myself.

Some parents were surprised to learn that by developing bonding with their children it will make a positive influence on their academic performance, and to their resistance to drugs when they get older.

The "Massage a Back" technique went very smoothly, all the children enjoyed it, but the real excitement came when they were asked to smell the massage waxes donated by Tui Balmes that were to be used for the "Hands" massage technique. Which one to choose? Both smell so nice. Finally they all agreed with “Pacific Night” fragrance. The room was filled with beautiful fragrance. After the children had received the massage, they started to massage their mums. The last technique – "Head" massage was done in a fully relaxing mood. 

Farida attended classes with her 3 and 6 years old daughters. She is an IT specialist but decided to quit her job and fully devote her time to raise her children – a full time mum. Her children had an idea: Let’s massage our dad when he comes back from work this afternoon!

The 2 hours went very fast. At the end of the workshop mums received a CD with the massage songs, and the children, small sachets of massage waxes and they all promised to use the techniques at home.