Category: Positive News

Community-led mental health projects in low-income countries are having a positive impact on people’s mental health, according to UK-based publication Positive News. In Zimbabwe, grandmothers trained in cognitive behavioural therapy counselling skills are deployed to help people with depression and anxiety. The Friendship Bench programme is being piloted in a low-income London neighbourhood. Simple human… Continue reading It’s easy, it’s everywhere: the simple solution improving mental health around the globe

Children in Gaza are being provided with psychological support in response to the recent conflict. Sharek Youth Forum (SYF), a grassroots Palestinian group supported by Project Hope Foundation and the UN Population Fund, is offering food aid alongside child and play-led psychological first aid (PFA). The latter seeks to reduce the long-term prevalence of post-traumatic… Continue reading Gaza’s children: play in a time of crisis

From Romania to India, this week offered up plenty of good news. Firstly, preventative cancer treatment moved another step closer through research at the University of Oxford. The study showed that proteins which can indicate cancer can appear in people’s blood more than seven years before they are diagnosed with the disease. Identifying these proteins… Continue reading What went right this week: the good news that matters

Aja Barber, a fashion stylist and writer, sees secondhand and ethical fashion as a gateway to exploring environmental and social challenges. According to a report by Thredup, the secondhand market is on course to take 10% of global sales, while eBay has dropped selling fees for preloved garments. Barber advocates for natural and conscious shopping,… Continue reading ‘There’s joy and connection in searching for secondhand fashion gems’

Beekeeping in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has been an ancestral way of life for many. The Xunan-Kab bee has been given veneration by the Mayan civilisations and is priced for their honey. However, honey production in Mexico is not an easy way of life, especially for 21st-century beekeepers. The difficulties range from climate change to adulterants diluting honey,… Continue reading The Mexican honey co-op finding sweet success in a volatile sector

Positive News readers have suggested various methods of coping mentally during difficult times. Strategies shared include planting flowers, focusing on the present, reconnecting with friends, singing, reading, swimming, and practising yoga and meditation. One reader found solace in nature, relying on the elements to provide a sense of calm. Another engaged in folk dancing and… Continue reading How to support your mental health during a crisis, according to you

World Mental Health Week (13-19 May) is a time to celebrate the many innovative ways individuals and groups are working to tackle mental health challenges. A range of approaches that reflect differing needs have been highlighted by Positive News. These approaches range from specially trained support dogs for veterans; UK’s first hip-hop therapist, Kiz Man… Continue reading 10 unique mental health projects helping people in the UK

The Soil Association has launched its ‘Worm Hunt’ campaign, calling on citizen scientists throughout the UK to participate in a unique exercise of worm charming to record results and help create a national ‘worm map’. The unusual event, in which participants dance, or cause vibrations on the ground to attract worms to the surface, has… Continue reading Citizen scientists urged to try worm charming for soil health this May

Last year marked a “turning point in the history of energy” as the world received more than 30% of its electricity from renewable sources, according to climate thinktank Ember. The share of renewables was sufficient to allow “a new era of falling power sector emissions”. Global demand for electricity rose last year, however, this was… Continue reading What went right this week: the good news that matters

Joseph Coelho, the current UK children’s laureate, was born and raised in London. In year 8 of secondary school, he wrote his first poem about a performing bear. From there, he delved into performance poetry before conducting creative workshops in schools. Coelho has published several critically acclaimed picture books, poetry anthologies, and novels for younger… Continue reading Life lessons: Joseph Coelho on what life so far has taught him