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Mallika Chopra helps us understand what makes us different from others A page for young people Every one of us is different. We think about things differently. We have different bodies. We come from different races. We look different on the outside. The list of differences between each one of us goes on and on and on. We live in different places. Some of us live in cities or the suburbs, on farms, in the desert, by the ocean, or in the mountains. Some of us may have experienced not having a place to live. We have different religions and spiritual practices. Some people have more money; others live with less. And some people struggle just to eat every day. Our bodies work differently, and we react to situations differently. Some of us like to be around lots of people and action, and some of us prefer to spend time alone and dislike crowded places. One of the keys to feeling good about your life is appreciating how you are unique. You may have less or more than other people, but inside you can also find things that you feel good about in your life. You may not have the things that someone else has, but perhaps you have a friend you treasure who is truly special to you. Or you have a place you like to visit that makes you feel peaceful or joyful. Or perhaps you have a song you love or a talent you’re proud of. All of us feel like we are different from others at times, and that may make us feel alone, confused, and helpless. It’s good to have a list of what makes you special as well as the same as others in times when you need to feel better. • Edited extract from Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More by Mallika Chopra, illustrated by Brenna Vaughan, Running Press Kids Exercise: what makes me unique? Time needed: 5 minutes Location: a quiet room, the library, or somewhere safe outside Materials needed: a paper and something to write or draw with Sit comfortably in a place where you can think. Take a deep breath. In and out. On your next breath, think ‘I’ as you breathe in, and ‘am’ as you breathe out. Again, ‘I’ as you breathe in, and ‘am’ as you breathe out. Now, think about three people in your life – perhaps a parent or sibling, a teacher, a friend, or someone you know through one of your activities. On the piece of paper, write or draw three things that are the same between you and these three people. It can be physical, like we each have a nose or have the same skin colour. Or it can be about something you do – we all eat or sleep. Or it can be something more specific, like we all like the colour red. Now, think about three things that are different between you and these three people. (Choose three positive things for this exercise.) It can be something physical about yourself that you like – perhaps the colour of your hair or something you do differently from others or a talent you have. After you put these on the page, take a moment to appreciate these things about yourself. Realise that you share similarities to others, but that you also have unique things about you that you can celebrate. You may want to keep adding to this list, putting it in a place to remind you about what makes you different (and special!) when you need it. 30 JUNO
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CONSCIOUS PARENTING • SUSTAINABILITY • COMMUNITY • WELLBEING Raising Rebels T Cath German shares her experiences of protesting with children here are times when you’re scrubbing mud off your spuds, stomping about in your second-hand clothes, walking here, cycling there, eschewing plastics or air travel, quietly continuing an existing lifestyle that is, by now, so ingrained that it doesn’t even feel like a choice, when it all starts to feel quite humdrum, a bit normal and well, passive. And sometimes, it’s lonely. I introduced my children to protesting at an early age. My eldest daughter, now 12 years old, started at the tender age of 9 months when we were part of a nurse-in in Parliament Square, protesting about a proposed law that would make it illegal to breastfeed a child over 6 months in public. Since then there have been various noisy local gatherings, and of course, more recently, the regular Youth Strike 4 Climate protests and Extinction Rebellion uprisings. For children, protesting can be a wonderful and exciting thing to be part of. So often children feel that they don’t have a say, that decisions are made about their future by adults in power who have no regard for their thoughts, opinions and feelings, or in fact, for their future. Give them a drum or a whistle, a bright banner, and suddenly they can have an impact. Faced with the global threat of climate breakdown or, at a local level, building on land where they play or watch kestrels hunting, they can feel helpless. We all do. There are times when you long to march to a beat, to chant, shout, yell as loud as you can. To whoop in agreement. To connect with a complete stranger over shared values. To waft a jaunty banner. To call out, in your small way, “I am here and I am trying to ‘be’ different and ‘do’ something.” To find others who are ‘being’ and ‘doing’ the same. To sing together with one voice. To wave your hands, to dance in the street. To revel in all your glorious uncooperative crustiness. To bang a drum. To return, energised and inspired, with renewed vigour and courage. To be an active part of a bigger whole. I suppose, coming from a background of political and environmental activism, I’ve always felt it is imperative to get involved and have a say (or a shout), not merely to cast my vote in some election and then sit back and see what happens. Some of my earliest memories involve tramping dark streets canvassing with my parents, and I remember the moment I realised I could read – when I deciphered the peeling miners’ strike stickers on the back of the bathroom door (that dates me nicely!) And so, when we had our girls, I knew that we would be bringing them up as people who question, think, act and seek to make a change. Protesting gives us a voice. So often there is a conspicuous lack of children at protest marches, and yet, the very issues being fought are over their future – their right to a future, to clean air, food, shelter, civil liberties, or even just wild, open places where they can play. Perhaps protest marches get bad press and, yes, you have to be sensible – do your research, pick your spots, your times and your days. But I can honestly say that every single march or gathering I have taken the girls to has been joyful, peaceful, uplifting and energising. In fact, XR uprisings in London, during the daytime at least, have very much had the feel of a festival, > 31 JUNO

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CONSCIOUS PARENTING • SUSTAINABILITY • COMMUNITY • WELLBEING

Raising

Rebels T

Cath German shares her experiences of protesting with children here are times when you’re scrubbing mud off your spuds, stomping about in your second-hand clothes, walking here, cycling there, eschewing plastics or air travel, quietly continuing an existing lifestyle that is, by now, so ingrained that it doesn’t even feel like a choice, when it all starts to feel quite humdrum, a bit normal and well, passive. And sometimes, it’s lonely.

I introduced my children to protesting at an early age. My eldest daughter, now 12 years old, started at the tender age of 9 months when we were part of a nurse-in in Parliament Square, protesting about a proposed law that would make it illegal to breastfeed a child over 6 months in public. Since then there have been various noisy local gatherings, and of course, more recently, the regular Youth Strike 4 Climate protests and Extinction Rebellion uprisings.

For children, protesting can be a wonderful and exciting thing to be part of. So often children feel that they don’t have a say, that decisions are made about their future by adults in power who have no regard for their thoughts, opinions and feelings, or in fact, for their future. Give them a drum or a whistle, a bright banner, and suddenly they can have an impact. Faced with the global threat of climate breakdown or, at a local level, building on land where they play or watch kestrels hunting, they can feel helpless. We all do.

There are times when you long to march to a beat, to chant, shout, yell as loud as you can. To whoop in agreement. To connect with a complete stranger over shared values. To waft a jaunty banner. To call out, in your small way, “I am here and I am trying to ‘be’ different and ‘do’ something.” To find others who are ‘being’ and ‘doing’ the same. To sing together with one voice. To wave your hands, to dance in the street. To revel in all your glorious uncooperative crustiness. To bang a drum. To return, energised and inspired, with renewed vigour and courage. To be an active part of a bigger whole.

I suppose, coming from a background of political and environmental activism, I’ve always felt it is imperative to get involved and have a say (or a shout), not merely to cast my vote in some election and then sit back and see what happens. Some of my earliest memories involve tramping dark streets canvassing with my parents, and I remember the moment I realised I could read – when I deciphered the peeling miners’ strike stickers on the back of the bathroom door (that dates me nicely!) And so, when we had our girls, I knew that we would be bringing them up as people who question, think, act and seek to make a change.

Protesting gives us a voice. So often there is a conspicuous lack of children at protest marches, and yet, the very issues being fought are over their future – their right to a future, to clean air, food, shelter, civil liberties, or even just wild, open places where they can play. Perhaps protest marches get bad press and, yes, you have to be sensible – do your research, pick your spots, your times and your days. But I can honestly say that every single march or gathering I have taken the girls to has been joyful, peaceful, uplifting and energising. In fact, XR uprisings in London, during the daytime at least, have very much had the feel of a festival, >

31 JUNO

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