Just In Time for National Suicide Survivor Day, November 21: Educator/Child Advocate Helps Educators and Family Members Foster Children's Self-Worth, Life Skills, and Leadership Qualities
(November 16, 2009 - ALBANY, OR) When kids get depressed, the consequences can be severe—even including suicide. For educators, parents, grandparents, and caregivers facing the challenges of increasing children's leadership skills and sense of self-worth while creating a safe, supportive climate, the acronym, U.N.I.Q.U.E. may provide a handy toolkit: Understanding, Nurturing, Inventive, Quality, Unstoppable, Expression.
Each letter gets an entire chapter in Debra J. Slover's new book, U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS: Growing My Leadership Garden— a Who-Moved-My-Cheese-style parable designed to counteract depression and build self-empowerment strategies.
Taking one letter at a time, Slover walks the reader through creating and encouraging the life-affirming, esteem-building, leadership skills characteristic, and harnessing the six qualities together to form a "Leadership Garden Legacy" based on mutual respect, cooperation, teamwork, and other values. Kids who have been bullied may respond especially well.
U.N.I.Q.U.E. Kids and the accompanying Activity Guide are designed as learning aids to involve the active participation of grownups who can read the book with a child (8-12), facilitate the activities in the workbook, and provide guidance and reinforcement in the Leadership Garden concepts.
About the Author
Author of three books and numerous articles, educator and advocate of creating a positive school climate, Debra Slover's leadership expertise stems from 20 years directing a statewide youth leadership in prevention/safe schools initiative in the schools, seven years as a classroom educator, experience organizing 20 state and national conferences, and running her own consulting firm for over six years. Her website is www.LeaderGardenPress.com
A survivor of loss by suicide herself, Slover is available for interviews and presentations on how developing personal leadership skills early can help prevent suicide and related topics such as countering bullying and substance abuse in the schools.
For more on National Suicide Survivor Day, originated by Nevada Senator Harry Reid, with dozens of local conferences plus a 90-minute national webcast, please visit http://bit.ly/106J8L
