wellness
‘Emotional competency’ can help struggling students, educator says
Lee Brown says handling emotions is a skill kids need to learn just like any other subject in school
By A New Day, CBC News Posted: Mar 01, 2016 6:21 PM CT
A retired academic says teaching “emotional competency” in schools can help students with everything from overcoming childhood trauma to getting better grades.
Lee Brown is a retired academic from the University of British Columbia, co-author of The Sacred Tree and former director of the Institute for Aboriginal Health at UBC.

Lee Brown says kids need to learn emotional skills from an early age. (Council of Yukon First Nations)
He’s one of the speakers at the Yukon First Nation Education Summit in Whitehorse. The focus this year is on cultural inclusion in public schools, supporting First Nation students in Whitehorse schools and building the relationship between the Yukon Department of Education and First Nations.
Brown says handling emotions is a skill kids need to learn, just like any other subject in school.
“Albert Einstein was a mathematical genius, but if he’d never studied math, he would never have been able to count to ten,” Brown said. “So, emotional competency is what develops when you put your mind in a curriculum from Grade 1 to 12 to develop the emotional skills of the children.”
Brown says teaching emotional competency involves helping students to understand their emotional states and how to communicate them. He says that helps students create strong identities for themselves.
Emotional skills can also help students tackle subjects they struggle with, Brown says, giving the example of math, which causes many students anxiety. He says it’s possible for students to train themselves to love math.
“The more emotional tools you have in your emotional toolbox, the better off you’re going to be.”
Brown says bullying, racism and suicide are results of failing to teach children about their emotions.
“There’s not a high level of emotional maturity in our society,” he said. “There is a high level of emotional toxicity.”
Graduate Pathways to Success Sessions: Time Mgmt, Stats (2 group comparisons), Boundary Setting
Subject: Graduate Pathways to Success: Time Mgmt, Stats (2 group comparisons), Boundary Setting
Registration is now open for:
Time Management (in collaboration with Mitacs Step)
Tuesday, 2 February 2016 – 9:00am to 5:00pm
For more information or to register, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/about-us/events/12922-time-management
SCARL III: Two Group Comparisons and Beyond
In this statistics session, there will be a detailed discussion and demonstration of how to compare data from two groups or conditions. From this common type of analysis, we generalize to comparisons of more than two groups. Covers t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and more.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016 – 10:00am to 12:30pm
For more information or to register, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/about-us/events/12933-scarl-iii-two-group-comparisons-beyond
Setting and Maintaining Good Boundaries (in collaboration with the UBC Life & Career Centre)
This seminar is designed for graduate students who are experiencing stress because of the challenge of managing many demands, and need to practice setting boundaries around their time and space.
Thursday, 4 February 2016 – 9:30am to 12:30pm
For more information or to register, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/about-us/events/13084-setting-maintaining-good-boundaries
PhDs Go Public Research Talk Series – Public Scholars Initiative Event #2: Innovation for Public Good
Brief description: Innovation is important; so is the public good. But how do they go together? PhD students from UBC’s Public Scholars Initiative share their projects, and innovation experts offer their insights.
February 4th; 6:30 – 8:30 PM. For further information and to register, visit https://survey.ubc.ca/s/psinnovation/
January is Sexual Assault Awareness Month at UBC. Visit http://students.ubc.ca/livewell/topics/sexual-assault/sexual-assault-awareness-month for events and other information.
Reach out. Help prevent suicide. Reaching out early and preventing suicide requires everyone’s help. Show your support for suicide awareness and prevention: wear orange on Suicide Awareness Day, Jan 27th: http://ow.ly/VD7hO
Thank you,
Jacqui.
Jacqui Brinkman
Manager, Graduate Pathways to Success Program | Office of the Dean | Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus
Phone 604 827 4578 | Fax 604 822 5802
170 – 6371 Crescent Road | Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z2
jacqui.brinkman@ubc.ca | http://www.grad.ubc.ca
Job – Assistant Professor (tenure track), Indigenous Studies, University of Sudbury. Dec. 1, 2015
Assistant Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies
The University of Sudbury, a bilingual and tri-cultural institution and founding member of the Laurentian Federation, invites applications for a tenure-stream position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies commencing July 1, 2016. The Department of Indigenous Studies seeks a dynamic candidate with an expertise in the areas of: health and wellness, community-based research, Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous spirituality. Applicants should have a PhD, or ABD in Indigenous Studies or related discipline and have a demonstrated ability for excellence in research, teaching, publications and working with Indigenous communities. Experience in teaching and Indigenous research and knowledge of an Indigenous language and/or French will be considered definite assets.
Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching dossier and three separate confidential reference letters directed to: Dr. Pierre Zundel, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Sudbury, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6. The deadline for applications is December 1, 2015 but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
This announcement is directed primarily but not exclusively to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. The University of Sudbury encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including women, members of visible and ethnic minorities, Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities.
Aboriginal Mental Health and Wellness Training at UBC – Oct 1, 2015
This FREE training is open to all Aboriginal students at UBC. Students will learn about Mental Health and Wellness, gain valuable professional development, and find out how they can access resources through the UBC Wellness Centre and other local support services. Topics include (but not limited to) Self-Care and Boundaries, Providing Support to Students in Distress, Respectful Relationships within Aboriginal Communities, and Building a Support System.
Thursday, October 1
8:30 AM – 12:15 PM (12:45-4:00 sessions optional for non-NITEP students)
Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall, First Nations Longhouse
Interactive Medicine Walk with Cease Wyss (T’uy’tanat), Dec 2, 2014
Tuesday, December 2, 2:00 – 3:30 PMParticipate via videoconference or computer webinar