A big thank you to everyone who attended the Nathan Wallis event on the Teen Brain last week. We’ve received some positive and insightful feedback from attendees that we want to share with you all.
“Very entertaining speaker, maybe a series that looked more in-depth at each stage would be helpful.”
“It was a well-organised night, free refreshments were a lovely touch and unexpected.”
“Nathan is a wealth of knowledge and I’d attend more events.”
Many attendees expressed a desire for deeper discussions on specific teen challenges, such as social media, technology, drinking/ alcohol, gaming and emotional development. We’re currently building out our programs for 2025, and this feedback will help guide and focus those topics to help parents navigate the teenage years, better.
Key takeaways are below.
Understanding and validating emotions. Attendees found this topic really interesting and emphasised the importance of validating teen emotions rather than punishing them. The value of emotional validation and its impact on the teenage brain.
Communication and listing techniques. The importance of the 3-step process as well as the “Mate Date” technique, where parents give 10 minutes of undivided attention to their teenagers. Listening is essential, and it’s important to not jump in straight away with advice or solutions but rather listen to what they have to say first.
Practical tools and parenting strategies. Using the 1-2-3 validation process for better connections with your teenager. Focus on play-based learning for younger kids and emotional understanding for teens.
The impact of early development on teens. Early childhood development can influence teenage behaviours. Looking into the first 1000 days of life, and understanding how crucial that development stage is for a child’s brain.
Adolescent brain and behaviour. The effects of alcohol and substance abuse on the teenage brain, including marijuana. And the effects of teen drinking in adulthood (domestic violence and binge drinking.)
Tools and practical information for parenting teens. The impact gaming has on boys (Xbox and Nintendo) as well as some tools and knowledge about the teenage brain and how to engage with adolescents.
Interest in specific teen issues. The impact social media and technology have on the teenage brain. A lot of interest in specific issues like bullying, peer pressure, and boundaries with technology.
Questions for further exploration. We had some awesome questions come through that we will look to focus some programs around next year.
“So hard with contradicting messages in NZ, especially around education. Should there be a balance between literacy and play-based learning?”
“How do we handle the balance between gaming and spending time with family? Are we supposed to let them do this to avoid conflict?”
“What happens to the brain when drinking alcohol, especially for teens?”
For more content related to Nathan Wallis on the Teen Brain, including articles, radio talks and video clips, click here.
Keep an eye out for the release of our programs for 2025 via our Events page. If you’ve got a great idea for an event, let us know. We’re here to help bring the right people and experts to our community in support of our youth.