Eileen Berry, Founder of Parent Guides
Young people have never had so many communication tools, yet communicating with them is as tricky as ever. For parents and carers, the cyber age provides enormous opportunities but also brings many challenges.
Technology is changing how we all communicate and forcing institutions to be more transparent, inclusive, dynamic and personalised. Trust has shifted from institutions back to individuals, reversing the historical trend with profound implications for society.
At the same time, trust and influence grow among family, friends, classmates, colleagues and even strangers. No longer is the ‘top down’ influence of elites, authorities and institutions a given. That is why Parent Guides are so important in creating trust, credibility and confidence in families.
Drugs 101 was launched in 2015, inspired by my experience as a carer for a nephew with a serious substance-abuse problem. Our successful launch of that resource at a Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar parent evening was followed by the publishing of Social Media 101, Sex 101 and now Mental Health 101. The latest release Respect 101 is a vital addition to existing four guides, covering the topics of respect and how to ensure youths are entrenched in displaying respect.
Each resource has made its mark and been distributed by schools to their parents. After securing not-for-profit recognition over the past year, Parent Guides will create further guides: Gaming and Gambling 101, Resilience 101 and Money 101.
Feedback has been positive and affirming from parents, teachers, academics and health professionals. As momentum builds, Parent Guides will produce evidence to show how valuable our resources are to the health and well-being of our community.
Strong ethics drive our passion to develop and create content that is transparent, trustworthy and relevant. Talented, like-minded researchers, editors, experts and case studies create evidence-based guides with the latest information.
We tell it like it is to inform parents and carers, sparking important conversations between them and young people. We also answer the difficult questions that can hinder these conversations.
Parent Guides empower parents to take ownership and encourage young people to be open about what they are doing and thinking. We want to champion change, and minimise and prevent harm. Material is tailored for them and has no embedded or subliminal messages. It is simple, open, honest and impartial.
We want to ensure that through their parents and carers, teenagers develop the life skills needed to be resilient and become healthy adults. We don’t advocate banning things or experimenting and are realistic about the perils that the internet poses.
We simply provide the best available information and tools so that parents and carers can support their children through what can be a difficult time.
Eileen Berry,
Parent Guides Founder