We sat down this week with Jay Levin, President of EQuip Our Kids, to explore the transformative power of emotional intelligence training. As society grapples with rising stress, anxiety, and a digital landscape that both connects and isolates, he discusses how Equip Our Kids is paving a path to mental wellness for children and teens. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone invested in shaping a future where emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of education and personal development.

Most would agree our times are as tumultuous and unpredictable, as they are auspicious and potentiating. How we proceed in this era is ultimately a matter of choice and exploring the best ways forward. Over the last decade, mental health in among youth has been declining, in conjunction with increased levels of stress, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and depression. The pandemic years exacerbated feelings of isolation, loneliness, sadness and hopelessness among many youth globally.

The prevalence of social media, cellphones, and digital addiction are impacting youth with greater access to national and global challenges whether it be: climate change, gun violence, racial injustice, gun violence or international or socioeconomic crises. According to a survey of tens of thousands of students conducted by University of Michigan researchers, 8th and 10th graders in 2021 spent an average of 3.5 hours daily on social media platforms. The Pew Center also reported that last year, 35% teens said they used social media “almost constantly.” Poor sleep, sedentary, indoor lifestyles, peer pressure, cyberbullying, and diminishing in-person vs. virtual social connections are all impacting the mental health of today’s youth for better or worse.

How can we nurture emotional intelligence skills that equips youth with adaptability in changing times, fortitude and wellness tools that foster their innate gifts and potential? Jay Levin, President of Equip Our Kids [https://equipourkids.org] joined us to talk about the potential and need for social emotional learning and nurturing emotional intelligence to create greater balance, resiliency and a deep sense of connectedness among youth of all ages.

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More Info

https://equipourkids.org/explaining-eq-sel/

Featured Video:

Students Talk about Social and Emotional Learning's impact in school and in their life https://youtu.be/mV4t8hJG0d4

Jay Levin is the President of EQuip Our Kids! [https://equipourkids.org] whose mission it is to get emotional intelligence training in all US pre Kindergarten to grade 12 schools. The founder of the LA Weekly, which he grew to be the largest urban weekly newspaper in the country, he has also run five other media companies. A social entrepreneur, he has started six nonprofits dealing with social issues and has served on the advisory boards of three environmental organizations.

Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, Indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.

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Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt

Hosted by Carry Kim

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 211