Valerie Grison Blog

Could helping others prevent mental illness? View at Medium.com

September was a special month for Give Us The Floor. It’s our first anniversary. And we launched the first “semester themes“, the first product of our very special process for letting teenagers decide for themselves what they need: the teens voted to focus on two broad themes. The results are Health (Mental & Physical) and […]

  Are you aware of the power of “Not Yet”? I am afraid I wasn’t. Not enough, at least. A few days ago I watched a talk called “The Power of Yet” by Carol Dweck. It was a revelation to me. As parents, as educators, we need to be aware of the power of “Not Yet” […]

Part I “You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. But you won’t discover this until you are willing to stop banging your head against the wall of shaming and caging and fearing yourself.” – Geneen Roth I’m 17 years old and I’m a recovering anorexic, and have been for […]

I’ve had the privilege to interact with a lot of teenagers, mostly to listen. What struck me most was that too many of them lack self-confidence and feel awkward, even though every single one has a special, unique talent. I started Give Us The Floor to help create a society in which every teenager understands […]

  Sometime, you don’t know why, but you can’t accept the truth. Even when you know it is. I’m sure that has happened to you, denial is a normal stage of grief. It’s also a normal stance to take when someone disagrees with something you believe to be true. Many people, though in the face […]

One of the most important aspects of tween psychology is the development of skills needed for managing their own lives, making good choices, and becoming self-reliant. At this in-between stage tweens are leaving the familiar surroundings of elementary school, and entering middle school where their decision-making and independence will be tested every day. The way […]

Fairy Godmother Academy and TBQE Create Social Mobile Game and Contest: Question Beauty with Aja Volkman of Alt Pop band, Nico Vega, as a spokesperson. http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1830270

I was invited last week by a dear friend to join Craig and Marc Kielburger and share the wonderful experience of participating in the preview of Free The Children’s upcoming California “We Day.” Free The Children was started 19 years ago by a 12 year old boy who couldn’t just accept what he’d just read […]