interhill-blog

[interhill-blog]

Interhill made a special production video to celebrate Malaysia day

[interhill-blog]

INTERHILL – CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY BY OFFERING PETIPUN FINANCIAL GRANT TO ASPIRING PENAN STUDENTS

MIRI – Interhill-PETIPUN Scholarship/grant today awarded financial aids to a total of 15 deserving Penan students in recognition of their excellent academic achievements coinciding with International Literacy Day, including 1 for student pursuing Master Degree and 12 for students pursuing degree, and a further 2 student pursuing diploma.Special financial aids were awarded to Sarina Anak Keti from Bintulu to pursue the Master Degree in Education in Asia eUniversity (AeU) Bintulu. 12 students are pursuing their Bachelor Degrees in Education in Institut Pendidikan Guru, Kampus Sarawak, one (1) student is pursuing diploma in Medical Assistance and a further one (1) student pursuing diploma in Plantation Management.“Today, the 8th of September is International Literacy Day, where the world celebrates reading and learning the written word; I think it’s wonderful that as we celebrate your scholastic achievements today, we realise that the world celebrates with you.” Corporate Communications Manager of Interhill Group, Agnes Nyelang, said to the grantees today.The 2015 awards were presented to the recipients by Executive Director of Interhill Group Datin Lau Ngok Yung and President of PETIPUN Datuk Temenggung Hasan Sui during an award ceremony hosted by Interhill Group at Wisma Interhill Miri Waterfront Commercial Centre today.The Interhill-PETIPUN Scholarship/Grant is an annual corporate social responsibility program initiated by Interhill in 2008 jointly with the Sarawak Tipun Penan Development Association (“PETIPUN”), with an aim to safeguard the future of the Penan Communities in Baram through continuing education and learning of all generations. The scheme is open not only to those seeking assistance to enter higher institutes of learning, but also to those interested in part time or vocational courses.“The partnership with PETIPUN have been essential in making this initiative possible. I’d like to, once again, thank Yang Berbahagia Datuk Temenggung Hasan Sui and the many other associates in PETIPUN here today, for their support and their dedication in the carrying out of this project.  We look forward in continuing our combined efforts to create opportunities for the Penan youths so that they will succeed in both the private and public sectors.” Agnes Nyelang said.The scholarship has awarded 83 Penan students over the past 7 years. The Interhill-PETIPUN Scholarship/Grant is also an action under the Interhill Education Initiative, an initiative established under the CSR division of Interhill Group, with the objective to provide aid and assistance to students and members of the community seeking to advance their current level of education onto a higher platform, especially for those located in the rural areas.The Interhill Education Initiative is yet another true demonstration of Interhill’s continued commitment to grow in such a way which focuses on supporting harmonious growth with the community, and the establishment of the said Initiative under the company’s founder and Managing Director, Datuk Hii Chang Pee’s, guidance is but an initial step in this direction.This is also a reflection of Interhill’s corporate philosophy which can be represented by the acronym, “HILL” and comprising of enduring values of Humility, Integrity, Loyalty and Local community support.

[interhill-blog]

Stress Management

How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

You may feel there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and your work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have more control over stress than you might think. Stress management is all about taking charge: of your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. No matter how stressful your life seems, there are steps you can take to relieve the pressure and regain control.

What is stress management?

We all respond to stress differently so, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to managing stress. But if you feel like the stress in your life is out of control, it’s time to take action. Stress management can teach you healthier ways to cope with stress, help you reduce its harmful effects, and prevent stress from spiraling out of control again in the future.

No matter how powerless you may feel in the face of stress, you still have control over your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation. The first step is to recognize the true sources of stress in your life.

What are the sources of stress in your life?

It’s easy to identify sources of stress following a major life event such as changing jobs, moving home, or losing a loved one, but pinpointing the sources of everyday stress can be more complicated. It’s all too easy to overlook your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to your stress levels. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines, but maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that is causing the stress.

To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather?

Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”)?

Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?

Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.

How do you currently cope with stress?

Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:

Smoking

Drinking too much

Bingeing on junk or comfort food

Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer

Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities

Using pills or drugs to relax

Sleeping too much

Procrastinating

Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems

Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

Learning healthier ways to manage stress

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.

Stress management strategy #1: Get moving

Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress, but you don’t have to be an athlete or spend hours in a gym to experience the benefits. Just about any form of physical activity can help relieve stress and burn away anger, tension, and frustration. Exercise releases endorphins that boost your mood and make you feel good, and it can also serve as a valuable distraction to your daily worries.

While the maximum benefit comes from exercising for 30 minutes or more, you can start small and build up your fitness level gradually. Short, 10-minute bursts of activity that elevate your heart rate and make you break out into a sweat can help to relieve stress and give you more energy and optimism. Even very small activities can add up over the course of a day. The first step is to get yourself up and moving. Here are a few easy ways:

Put on some music and dance around

Take your dog for a walk

Walk or cycle to the grocery store

Use the stairs at home or work rather than an elevator

Park your car in the farthest spot in the lot and walk the rest of the way

Pair up with an exercise partner and encourage each other as you workout

Play ping-pong or an activity-based video game with your kids

Managing stress with regular exercise

Once you’re in the habit of being physically active, try to incorporate regular exercise into your daily schedule. Activities that are continuous and rhythmic—and require moving both your arms and your legs—are especially effective at relieving stress. Walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, tai chi, and aerobic classes are good choices.

Pick an activity you enjoy, so you’re more likely to stick with it. Instead of continuing to focus on your thoughts while you exercise, make a conscious effort to focus on your body and the physical (and sometimes emotional) sensations you experience as you’re moving. Adding this mindfulness element to your exercise routine will help you break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that often accompanies overwhelming stress. Focus on coordinating your breathing with your movements, for example, or notice how the air or sunlight feels on your skin. Getting out of your head and paying attention to how your body feels is also the surest way to avoid picking up an injury.

When you’ve exercised, you’ll likely find it easier to put other stress management techniques to use, including reaching out to others and engaging socially.

Stress management strategy #2: Engage socially

Social engagement is the quickest, most efficient way to rein in stress and avoid overreacting to internal or external events that you perceive as threatening. There is nothing more calming to your nervous system than communicating with another human being who makes you feel safe and understood. This experience of safety—as perceived by your nervous system—results from nonverbal cues that you hear, see and feel.

The inner ear, face, heart, and stomach are wired together in the brain, so socially interacting with another person face-to-face—making eye contact, listening in an attentive way, talking—can quickly calm you down and put the brakes on defensive stress responses like “fight-or-flight.” It can also release hormones that reduce stress, even if you’re unable to alter the stressful situation itself. Of course, it’s not always realistic to have a pal close by to lean on when you feel overwhelmed by stress, but by building and maintaining a network of close friends you can improve your resiliency to life’s stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.

Reach out to family and friends and connect regularly in person. The people you talk to don’t have to be able to fix your stress; they just need to be good listeners. Opening up is not a sign of weakness and it won’t make you a burden to others. In fact, most friends will be flattered that you trust them enough to confide in them, and it will only strengthen your bond. And remember, it’s never too late to build new friendships and improve your support network.

Stress management strategy #3: Avoid unnecessary stress

While stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, some stressors arise at predictable times—your commute to work, a meeting with your boss, or family gatherings, for example. When handling such predictable stressors, you can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose in any given scenario, it’s helpful to think of the four A's: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

Avoid the stressor

It’s not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs to be addressed, but you may be surprised by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts” and, when possible, say “no” to taking on too much.

Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life, limit the amount of time you spend with that person, or end the relationship.

Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn off the TV. If traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.

Stress management strategy #4: Alter the situation

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, be more assertive and communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the stress will increase.

Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.

Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you’ll find it easier to stay calm and focused.

Stress management strategy #5: Adapt to the stressor

How you think can have a profound effect on your stress levels. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. Regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude to stressful situations.

Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.

Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”

Stress management strategy #6: Accept the things you can’t change

Many sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors, such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.

Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control—particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.

Look for the upside. When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.

Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Stress management strategy #7: Make time for fun and relaxation

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors.

Develop a "stress relief toolbox"

Come up with a list of healthy ways to relax and recharge. Try to implement one or more of these ideas each day, even if you're feeling good.

Go for a walk

Spend time in nature

Call a good friend

Play a competitive game of tennis or racquetball

Write in your journal

Take a long bath

Light scented candles

Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea

Play with a pet

Work in your garden

Get a massage

Curl up with a good book

Listen to music

Watch a comedy

Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.

Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.

Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Stress management strategy #8: Adopt a healthy lifestyle

In addition to regular exercise, there are other healthy lifestyle choices that can increase your resistance to stress.

Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.

Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind.

Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

Stress management self-help checklist

Use this checklist to track your progress using these strategies to manage stress. Compare how you feel on days when you make lots of ticks on the checklist to those when you make few or none.

Source from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm

[interhill-blog]

Afterschool Programs Foster Children's Social and Emotional Learning

Judging from the substance and tenor of the policy debate over education in the United States, you might think that everything children need to learn can be assessed and summed up with test scores and grades.

Parents and educators know better. They see the much broader range of children's development and learning as they walk that long path from birth to young adulthood and beyond. They see the ways infants and toddlers interact with other children and with adults -- the ways they react to what happens around them, memorize storybooks, express emotion as they sing songs, mimic their parents' gestures, and repeat words and phrases they hear. They see the ways children react to encouragement as they learn to walk or ride a bike, the ways they engage a friend or charm a grandparent. Later, they discover their children picking up language and information from their friends and other adults, and going on to develop a rich variety of skills and interests.

More than that, they see their children develop personalities and attitudes, sometimes with their parents' guidance in evidence, sometimes not. Along the way, children develop not just knowledge but abilities, traits and attitudes that can last a lifetime -- things like persistence, resilience, inquisitiveness, conscientiousness, empathy, teamwork, the capacity to relate to other children and to adults, and much more.

Almost none of that is captured with letter grades or test scores, but it all feeds into how well children are able to navigate and succeed in the world around them, as students, citizens, employees and, eventually, as parents themselves.

Still, you don't find many courses in resilience, and there's no department of persistence across the hall from the history department at your community's high schools. But somehow, kids develop those traits.

But how does this social and emotional learning happen? And how can we shape that process to make sure it reaches all our children?

Source from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jodi-grant/afterschool-programs-fost_b_8122320.html?utm_hp_ref=education&ir=Education

[interhill-blog]

Interhill Group's After School Project at it again!!.

With the future interest of our children at heart, an educational program titled Dare to Dream was held at Kompleks Kebajikan Hamidah Yakup over the weekend as total number of 45 people participated in the event that includes Children and Mentors of the Interhill Group’s After School Project. With the theme “Inspiring Children to Believe and Achieve ”, Interhill Group’s After School Project's purpose for this event is to educate children ranging from 6 to 17 years of old to be confident,determined and focus as they explore life .It was a successful event and every child has an endless heart filled with happiness. Wish you could join us? Is never too late. Check out our website at www.after-schoolproject.com, find out more about us and BE A MENTOR TODAY

[interhill-blog]

10 global health issues to watch in 2015

We’ve got our eyes on 10 topics that will shape 2015 for many of us—especially the health workforce.

No one could have predicted that Ebola would dominate global health headlines in 2014. We sure didn’t. The virus was nowhere to be found on IntraHealth’s Top 10 Global Health Issues to Watch in 2014 published last January. At the time, the global health community was focused on longstanding challenges such as HIV, family planning, maternal health—all of which have been derailed in some way by Ebola this year.

Will 2015 be some kind of a tipping point? Could it be the year the global health community finally begins to focus on the underlying health systems challenges brought to light by the Ebola epidemic? On the final push to end AIDS? On solving the critical shortage of health workers around the world?

All 7 billion of us will be affected in some way by at least one of these issues. They’ll shape what IntraHealth and other global development organizations do in 2015, and how we do it. Here are our top ten predictions:

10: Mental health. Child mortality, AIDS, maternal mortality—these and a handful of other issues have dominated the global health spotlight for years. But what about depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia, substance abuse, and other mental health challenges that affect high- and low-income countries alike?

“Mental health and well-being are fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact with each other, earn a living, and enjoy life,” World Health Organization officials say.

Ethiopia is just one country that began focusing on mental health services in 2014, when it trained health workers to provide mental health care within prisons for the first time. As the civil unrest, economic instability, and traumatizing Ebola outbreaks of 2014 continue into 2015, mental health needs will only become more urgent—and so will the need for more trained social service workers, psychiatrists, and other health workers.

9: Cancer. Results from the largest cancer study ever published—released last month by the Lancet—show that cancer kills more people in low- and middle-income countries than HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

“The reason that some countries lag behind is not surprising; it’s a matter of how much is invested in cancer care,”NPR reported on the study. “Dr. Corey Casper, head of global oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, met a doctor in Uganda a few years ago who was then seeing 10,000 patients a year ‘in a facility that had…no roof, inconsistent electricity, and no meds.’ What’s more, says Casper, he was the only cancer doctor in Uganda and four surrounding countries.”

Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases will not get all the attention and resources they deserve in 2015, because Ebola will likely stunt global progress in addressing them this year. But they will continue to be a growing challenge for us all, including frontline health workers around the world.

8:AIDS: An end in sight or a reversion? In 2014, UNAIDS announced its new fast-track strategy to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

“If the world does not rapidly scale up in the next five years, the epidemic is likely to spring back with a higher rate of new HIV infections than today,” officials from the U.N. agency said.

That’s partly because half of the 35 million people who live with HIV today don’t even know they’re HIV-positive, so they don’t know they’re in danger of passing the virus on to others. This year will mark the first full year of a global strategy designed to avert 21 million deaths over the next 15 years. Can it help us address AIDS as a chronic illness, and make HIV’s threat to public health a thing of the past?

Check out: 5 Ways to End AIDS by 2030

7: Family planning. “In a single year, from 2012 to 2013, we saw the number of women and girls using modern methods of contraception rise by 8.4 million,” says Dr. Roy Jacobstein, senior medical advisor at IntraHealth. “This is excellent progress, and very encouraging. But we can do more.”

FP2020, a global partnership to make family planning more widely available, will enter its third year in 2015, and it’s already reported some amazing global results—77 million unintended pregnancies averted, for example, and 125,000 women’s and girls’ lives saved. It also highlights Senegal’s impressive progress, including a new method of contraceptive distribution called the Informed Push Model, which completely eliminated contraceptive stockouts in all public health facilities in Pikine, Senegal, in just six months. Now the government is expanding the model nationwide.

This type of progress is possible everywhere, and we hope to see more of it in 2015.

6: Mobile tech. In the hands of trained, connected health workers, mobile technology has the power to transform health care. It can help a lone health worker in even the most remote, isolated village get up-to-date training and provide high-quality care. It can help patients avoid quacks. And it can help connect health workers to one another and to information that can save lives (including their own). In 2014, for instance,Liberia began using a technology called mHero that allows the Ministry of Health to send critical information to health workers’ mobile phones. And health workers can use it to send time-sensitive information to ministry officials and to one another. In 2015, this technology will help other countries combating Ebola and prepare them for future health threats as well.

5: Global health security and surveillance. In 2014, an outbreak of the mumps began sweeping through the National Hockey League in the US and measles cases reached a 20-year high. Polio persisted as some 350 cases were reported in eight countries. These are vaccine-preventable illnesses. Their resurgences—not to mention the far more dangerous outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa—are all threats to our global health security. In 2015, countries should continue to address these threats. But it will take international cooperation on a scale not yet seen to create better disease surveillance systems, establish laws and policies that bolster health systems, and prevent violent conflicts—that is, to ultimately make a healthier and safer world.

4: War and unrest. More than half of all hospitals in Syria have now been attacked by Syrian forces, and over a third are no longer functional. Physicians for Human Rights says 578 health workers have been killed in the ongoing conflict. The violence of 2014—including in Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Nigeria—is not over. War, civil unrest, and acts of terrorism can hinder or even reverse progress in all aspects of global development, including health, education, and gender equality.

In 2015, the international community will continue trying to resolve these conflicts and prevent hospitals and health workers from becoming targets of violence. Last year in a landmark resolution, the United Nations stepped up to lead the global effort to protect health workers and hold accountable those who perpetrate violence against them.

3: Ebola. Ebola killed over 8,000 people in 2014, including hundreds of health workers. In 2015, West Africa and the world will continue struggling to contain the epidemic. We will also encounter Ebola’s devastating ripple effects: setbacks in HIV and maternal health progress, traumatized communities, and thousands of children orphaned by the disease and abandoned by their remaining family members. This last issue will add to the already great need for social service workers in West Africa who are trained and prepared to meet the specific needs of vulnerable children.Ebola has made clear the global need to invest in health systems for the long term—and in health workers.

2: New sustainable development goals. This year marks target date for reaching the Millennium Development Goals, which have led to massive worldwide improvements in health and well-being over just 25 years. Now global leaders are finalizing a new set of objectives for global development: the sustainable development goals. These new goals could unite countries on the path toward one of the international community’s most ambitious goals: universal health coverage. To achieve it, we’ll need a greater focus on the global health workforce than the world has ever seen.

1:People-centered health systems. Perhaps more than any crisis in living memory, Ebola has shone a spotlight on the importance of people in health systems. Take away the people—as Ebola has done by killing 500 health workers in West Africa and beyond—and the system crumbles. Each part of the health system requires people to make health care work, and not just clinicians, but statisticians, finance experts, technologists, and, of course, all of us who seek health care services.

This year, individual countries and the global development community should begin (or continue) to ask a key question: 

How do we make our most valuable resources—human beings—a priority as we strengthen our health systems?

In 2015, we could begin answering that question together.

[interhill-blog]

People routinely say that being asked to speak in public is their No. 1 fear, inspiring more dread than flying. The idea of speaking to a group of people, even if they know the audience, scares them…well…speechless. And when it does come time to mount the stage, inexperienced speakers only make things worse by resorting to corny jokes and sappy, improbable anecdotes. Their agony makes everyone else in the room feel uncomfortable. The room reeks of flop sweat.

Whether we're talking in a team meeting or presenting in front of an audience, we all have to speak in public from time to time.

We can do this well or we can do this badly, and the outcome strongly affects the way that people think about us. This is why public speaking causes so much anxiety and concern. The good news is that, with thorough preparation and practice, you can overcome your nervousness and perform exceptionally well. This article explains how!

Tips on how to overcome your fear of public speaking

1. Don’t talk right away. 2. Show up to give, not to take. 3. Make eye contact with audience members one by one. 4. Speak unusually slowly. 5. Ignore the naysayers. 6. Turn nervousness into excitement. 7. Say thank you when you’re done.

Read More: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239308

[interhill-blog]

Thousands of children are crying out for someone to love and help them. There are children that have so much to offer to our world, but need a helping hand. To be in children's memories tomorrow ,you have to be in their lives today.Give Children your time ,the most thoughtful gift of all.We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.All they ask is the chance to prove that their ideas can make the world a better place. "CHANGE A LIFE”.Sign up at www.after-schoolproject.com and become a Mentor today

Steps on how to mentor a troubled child.

Be a friend to the needy child.Be a good example.

Relate with the child, if it is possible.

Be honest with the child.

Make a plan for the future.

Have fun with the child.

Listen to the child.

[interhill-blog]

Time –Big Future. Are You Using Time Wisely?

Saving money is fine, but save time, and you may also save your health and sanity. The simple, unpleasant truth is that we are probably busier than we ever have been. People talk too fast. We're always in a rush. We start things and don't finish them and are constantly nagged by the idea that we've forgotten to do something, but we're not sure what it is."

Managing your time isn't about squeezing as many tasks into my day as possible; it’s about simplifying how you work, doing things faster, and relieving stress. Work Smarter, Not Harder. A lot of folks in our society try to be hyper-productive. Work smarter, not harder” has become a staple in the way you need go about work of any kind. Instead of being robotic in how you approach tasks, you should try to be thoughtful and always ask yourself if something can be done more efficiently or eliminated altogether.

Believe me, there are enough hours in a day for everything you’d like to do, but it may take a bit of rearranging and re-imagining to find them.

 7 Tips for Better Time Management

Make a Time Diary

Learn to Say "No"

Time-Based, To-Do List

Let Your Computer Help

Multitask

Don't Be a Perfectionist

Reward Yourself

Read More: 

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/time-management-tips?page=3

http://www.creativitypost.com/create/work_smarter_not_harder_21_time_management_tips_to_hack_productivity#sthash.aVkxsME5.dpuf

[interhill-blog]

Inspiring Employee Motivation in the Workplace

Inspiring workplaces are places where people feel motivated to perform at their best potential and to contribute their ideas for the betterment of the organization. Inspiring leaders understand that there are no motivational shortcuts. Pep talks, team building activities and salary perks all have their place, but creating a highly motivated workforce is not the result of a one, ten or even twenty times a year event. Stoking a fire once every three months is a surefire recipe for burnout. To keep the workplace flames burning bright the fire that drives people’s passions need to be continuously stoked. And inspiring motivators understand some basic motivational principles.

It all starts with a positive work environment.

Carrots outperform sticks

Different things motivate different people.

Intrinsic motivators outperform external motivators.

People want to be appreciated and recognized.

Celebrating milestones generates momentum.

Small is beautiful.

It All Starts With a Positive Work Environment

Let’s recap: Assuming you’ve hired the right folks for the right jobs, then happy, positive working environments create happy, positive workers. It doesn't get any simpler than this. Everything starts here. If your basic workplace environment is poisoned with toxic bosses and distrust and high levels of stress, then all the motivational perks in the world aren’t going to make any difference to the performance of your employees. 

And happy, positive work environments are created when.

You hire positive, talented people

You match people to their best talents and passions

People are given clear, challenging goals and an exciting vision

People are given the tools and training they need to do the job well

Communication is open, honest and respectful

Humor and creativity in the workplace thrive

Read more:http://www.respectfulworkplace.com/2011/05/18/inspiring-employee-motivation-in-the-workplace/

[interhill-blog]

Fear: Success or Failure?

Let’s be honest, all of us have doubts that block us from doing things. It's even socially acceptable to talk about some "fear of failure." But "fear of success?" Success-Failure!!!  It's just as real. Being afraid to achieve the very things that we want. How does it happen? The Future/Change Factor: Personal.

The good news is that when we experience this fear, it's because we're imagining a "better" future. We're actually thinking about change. But we don't know what else that's going to bring. Since it's all about the future, we can imagine anything and everything about what might be. In the absence of factual information we fantasize, often negatively.

 "I don't deserve it"

"If I achieve what I set out to do, everyone will know that I don't really deserve it"

"If I get it I won't be able to sustain it. Why try?"

"If I am successful, someone will come along who is better than me. Then, what will happen to me?"

"If I am successful, the nature and equilibrium of my relationships will change and I'll have to make new friends. My current friends would never accept a more successful (bigger, deeper, better, healthier) me."

What happens as a result of this kind of thinking?

Self-defeating thinking leads to self-defeating actions. Here are just a few:

Doing the wrong thing even when you know the right thing to do. That way, one can avoid having to deal with success.

Minimizing your accomplishments so they are ultimately negated. Then, you don't have to live up to being all that you really are.

Feeling guilty when you have a success. This creates a slowdown in momentum, hesitancy to act, and a self-fulfilling inability to move on to another success.

What you can do differently

Here are some suggestions that aren't complicated but do place the responsibility clearly on our personal shoulders:

1. Act in a way that will genuinely help build a sense of self: Find ways to encourage and acknowledge accomplishments of those around you.

2. Get an accountability partner--or maybe a couple. These people have your explicit permission to give you feedback--positive and negative --about how they are experiencing your progress. This is a reality check. Honest, factual, periodic conversations will help you replace the unknown negative fantasies with reality-based information.

3. When someone compliments you, respond with a firm "Thank you!" No false modesty or additional talk. Simply hear the compliments and let them begin to influence how you see yourself.

Read more : http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/inspiration_motivation/

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It's not enough to love Children,it is necessary that they are aware that they are loved. Every child deserves a champion,an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be. Empower Children to see a possible future and believe it can be obtained by signing up at www.after-schoolproject.com  Make a Change by becoming a Mentor !!! Like us on Facebook  After School Project Miri  .

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Do One Thing With Great Passion

“Sometimes you have to let a person go so they can grow. Because, over the course of their lives, it is not what you do for them, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them a successful human being.”

Mentoring can help youth as they go through challenging life transitions, including dealing with stressful changes at home or transitioning to adulthood. Close, healthy, supportive relationships between mentors and mentees that last for a significant portion of time are central to success.

 Support in the workplace

Mentors help young people set career goals and start taking steps to realize them.

Mentors can use their personal contacts to help young people meet industry professionals, find internships and locate job possibilities.

Mentors introduce young people to professional resources and organizations they may not know.

Mentors can help their mentees learn how to seek and keep jobs.

 Benefits for the Youth

Improved interpersonal skill.

Healthier relationships and lifestyle choices.

Enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence.

Benefits for mentors

Increased self-esteem.

A sense of accomplishment.

Creation of networks of volunteers.

Insight into childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

Increased patience and improved supervisory skills.

Tips on how to be a great mentor

Be committed.

Know that your mentee can be anyone, anywhere.

Have your own mentor(s) and network.

Be open-minded and compassionate.

Listen.

Have patience.

Be a role model.

Care about the relationship.

Provide helpful feedback and acknowledge achievements.

Provide a fresh perspective.

Have Fun.

Be yourself.

Share your experiences and insights.

Act as a sounding board.

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The Pursuit Of Excellence

”Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. Pursuing excellence is a habit, not an act. We are what we repeatedly do. “Those who turn good organizations into great organizations  are motivated by a deep creative urge and an inner compulsion for sheer unadulterated excellence for its own sake.” When an organization is filled with people pursuing excellence, it’s a win-win-win outcome. Everyone rises to excellence or eases into mediocrity. Mediocrity ignites apathy. Those who tolerate mediocrity disrespect themselves and their teams. Only fools pour themselves out for mediocrity. The mediocre lose energy. The pursuit of excellence energizes everyone who shares your values and believes in your mission.

10 ways to pursue excellence without negativity

Ask teams, who believe in the mission, where they can be better. Don’t point out their failures. Let them point out their aspirations.

Every time you feel like pointing out a problem, ask, “How can we make that better?”

Never allow conversations about issues or problems to end without finding some corrective action. At the least, set a “make it better” meeting.

Choose your battles. Focus on behaviors and issues with high visibility.

Ask, “What can we do about that,” when someone points out a problem or shortfall.

Reject the need for big solutions. The need for big solutions is the reason teams end up doing nothing, except complaining.

When someone says, “That won’t work,” ask, “What might help?”

Focus more on where you’re going than where you’ve been. Apply Pareto’s 80/20 principle.

Say, “You have more in you,” when something falls short.

Think of the pursuit of excellence in terms of people, then systems. How can you maximize talent and passion?

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Conquering the Challenge of Change

Successfully managing change is vital to both individuals and organizations. Constant change has become the status qua and those who succeed in the future will not only understand and cope with the principles of change, but will have learned the importance of recognizing and embracing these principles.

It is said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby. As we mature in a personal or organizational sense, resistance to change often increases; or worse still, there exists a false feeling of complacency about the good old days. Below are few tips on how to conquer change.

Tips on how to conquer change

Be Flexible.  

Recognize that we are creatures of habit.  

Look at change as an opportunity.

Face your Fear.

Step out of your comfort zone.  

Work through the Transition.

Be Positive.

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  You’re not Alone

The normal ups and downs of life mean that everyone feels sad or has "the blues" from time to time. But if emptiness and despair have taken hold of your life and won't go away, you may have depression. Depression makes it tough to function and enjoy life like you once did. Just getting through the day can be overwhelming. But no matter how hopeless you feel, you can get better. Understanding the signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment of depression is the first step to overcoming the problem.

      Are you depressed?

If you identify with several of the following signs and symptoms, and they just won't go away, you may be suffering from depression.

You can’t sleep or you sleep too much

You can’t concentrate or find that previously easy tasks are now difficult

You feel hopeless and helpless

You can’t control your negative thoughts, no matter how much you try

 You have lost your appetite or you can’t stop eating

 You are much more irritable, short-tempered, or aggressive than usual

You have thoughts that life is not worth living (seek help immediately if this is the case).

 Causes and risk factors for depression

Loneliness

Lack of social support

Recent stressful life experiences

Marital or relationship problems

Financial strain

Health problems or chronic pain

The road to depression recovery

 Ask for help and support.

 Make healthy lifestyle change.

 Build emotional skills.

Seek professional help.

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   Be Alert Don't get Hurt

Personal Safety Tips

Have you learned everything you can about personal safety, and if so, do you practice what you’ve learned? Are you trapped by needing to be nice at all times (better dead than rude)? Have you put off personal safety training/made it a lower priority than many other things? Nothing is more important than the personal safety.

Awareness:  Do you know what you’re feeling or do you know more about what other people feel? Are you conscious of how people intrude on your boundaries physically and/or emotionally? Do you trust your instinct/gut? Your own awareness to yourself and what is around you is your very first line of defense. True self-defense begins long before any physical contact. The first, and probably the most important component in self-defense or personal safety is awareness. Always be aware of your own feelings, your surroundings, and your potential attacker’s likely strategies against you. 

Here are some examples of strategies that could be used against you: Intrusion/Test - The person subtly checks out your boundaries by physical proximity, comments, demands on your time and attention, etc. This can go on for minutes or months, and depending on your boundaries, you may not even notice. Desensitization – You become accustomed to his intrusions/tests, and no longer notice when your physical/ social/emotional boundaries are crossed. Isolation – The perpetrator isolates you, or waits for a situation where you’re isolated, to provide an opportunity for an assault/rape/attack.

Trust your instincts: 

If someone makes you uncomfortable, don’t discount that feeling. Don’t give out a lot of information about yourself until you feel comfortable doing so. Go into any situation knowing where you want to set the boundary for that time and place.

Danger Signals

Behaviors such as angry outbursts which are intended to intimidate or control.

Doesn’t listen to you or doesn’t believe you (discounts your “NO”)

 Intrudes on your personal space (too close or inappropriate touching)

Interrupts or makes remarks that are intrusive .

Forced teaming (making it seem like you have a mutual problem)

Loan sharking (doing you favors so you owe him something)

Typecasting (calling you a snob; he wants you to try to disprove it)

 Unsolicited promises.

Too many details.

Sometimes the attack comes from a total stranger. By being aware of your surroundings and by projecting a confident presence, many altercations can be avoided. Pay attention to some of the danger signals listed above.