Resilience
'Resilience' is one of those words...
The first thing we'd like to do is make clear what we understand by 'resilience'.
Psychologist Ann Masten refers to resilience as 'ordinary magic'. Young people involved in Headstart at the beginning of the programme called it 'Bouncebackability'
Resilience is...
'...Ordinary Magic' and we absolutley love this definition.
Why Ordinary Magic?
Ann Masten (2013) describes the process of building resilience as ‘Ordinary Magic’ because to build resilience all children need are the right environments, the right relationships and the right chances to be able to safely explore themselves and the world around them.
Professor Angie Hart, creator of the Resilience Framework (see below) is another of our 'resilience heroes'. She understands resilience as being about social justice.
“Resilience is often defined by researchers as ‘doing better than expected in a context of adversity’ Professor Angie Hart and colleagues at Boingboing talk about what we can do to help people be resilient and say resilience is “beating the odds whilst also changing the odds” In other words instead of always expecting people to bounce back schools, councils and other organisations can also make changes to how they do things so life isn’t so tough for people facing adversity.
Resilience isn't...
"Resilience is not a personality trait. Children become more or less resilient depending on the opportunities they are given, not because they are born with a quality called ‘resilience’".
(Newman, 2011 - quoted in Research in Practice Building child and family resilience - boingboing’s resilience approach in action)
"There is a real danger in people thinking that ‘resilience’ is the same as ‘grit and determination’ and that it’s somehow the responsibility of the child to display it".
(Professor Angie Hart 2016, 'Has the resilience ship sailed? A reply to Marc Smith')
“Beating the odds whilst also changing the odds”
Introducing the Boingboing Resilience Framework
The Boingboing resilience framework was developed by Angie Hart and colleagues at the University of Brighton and Boingboing. The Framework acts as a reminder to what is involved in building resilience.
In difficult times we can all benefit from the Resilience moves highlighted on Boingboing’s Resilience Framework. The Resilience Framework is a toolkit of things you can put in place for yourself, a child or across the school, so that everyone has a chance to bounce forward when life is challenging.
It was developed alongside families with a lived experience of adversity and practitioners working alongside them. There are lots of versions of the Framework and it’s been translated into many different languages.
Our colleagues at HeadStart Blackpool have developed some terrific work around the Framework for children, young people and families.
This image is from our leaflet introducing the Framework in Cornwall. Click on the image to download a pdf of leaflet or contact us for hard copies
You can use this framework to map all the things you are already doing, identify some areas you haven’t tackled yet or to plan some Resilience moves you want to make with young people, families and staff across your school, as part of a Whole School, trauma-informed, relational Approach to wellbeing that is 'Everybody's Business'
Acknowledgement: (The Resilience Framework originated from the research and work of Professor Angie Hart, Dr Derek Blincow and Helen Thomas in 2007. See www.boingboing.org.uk for further details).
The Resilience Framework and Resilient Moves
The Resilience Framework visually shows how the creators have split their ideas under five headings: Basics, Belonging, Learning, Coping and Core Self - to help anyone think strategically and practically about doing things resiliently. Within each of these headings, is a selection of evidence-based ideas, to draw on when trying to make a resilient move with a child or young person.
The 5 Pillars
BASICS - The basic things we need in life to get by
BELONGING - Putting good relationships at the heart of things
LEARNING – The importance of finding out about and discovering new things, noticing our achievements, and developing new skills
COPING - Things that can help us when times are tough
CORE SELF - Focus on our inner worlds – those thoughts and beliefs we have about ourselves, and the ability to know who we are
The Noble Truths
Accepting – starting with exactly where a child or family are at, even if it means being at a very sore point, returning to ‘unconditional positive regard’, which means trying not to judge people and appreciating them for their basic humanity come what may.
Conserving – holding onto anything good that has happened up until now and building on it. When there is so much difficulty around, ‘preserving’ the little positive that there is becomes even more precious.
Commitment – staying in there and being explicit about what your commitment can be. Being realistic about what’s doable and not giving up or expecting things to change overnight.
Enlisting – seeking others to help and moving on from those who might have let us down in the past, noticing that we may not be enough or we may be too much.
What is a Resilient Move?
A resilient move is an everyday action that can help build resilience. Pupils can start anywhere on the framework, and do not have to do it in any particular order, nor have to do all the resilient moves. They might find that there is a chain reaction, where they work on one resilient move and find that they have achieved lots of others in the process.
We encourage schools, youth clubs and other organisations to create as many opportunities as possible for people to make resilient moves as part of a whole school, trauma informed, relational approach to wellbeing.
Resilience and mental health isn’t only about what a pupil can do for themselves but is also down to the opportunities that they have in life. We can help improve pupils’ mental health by improving opportunities, particularly for those who currently have fewer than others.
A way of explaining Resilient Moves to C&YP
"A resilient move is an everyday action that can help you build resilience. You are probably making lots of resilient moves already – you just might not have called them that before. Have a look at the framework and see what resilient moves you are already making, or what you could easily start doing. You can start anywhere on the framework, you do not have to do it in any particular order and you don’t have to do all the resilient moves. You might find that there is a chain reaction, this is where you work on one resilient move and find you have achieved lots of others in the process".
Supporting Resilience - our offer
...for when life gives you lemons
The Lemonade Project is about building resilience in young people who are experiencing low levels of emotional wellbeing.
Helping YP explore the Resilience Framework with the interactive framework and the new card deck resource
You are a young person who has just arrived in Frogsmouth: a fictional town on the coast of Cornwall.
Armed with the Resilience Framework and aided by your talking dog, you spend a year making new friends, rising to meet new challenges and discovering your personal strengths as you become the ultimate Resilience Hero!
Brilliant ME! was inspired by the Resilience Framework and the Lemonade Project
Link to hub module
edit image
Resilience Resources / More Background
Resilience resources
Resilience Hero Game Guide and Introduction
Resilience Hero Game Guide (colour large pdf)
Resilience Hero Game Guide (BW large pdf)
Resilience Hero Trailer
Resources created by Boingboing / Blackpool Headstart
You can find more information and downloads on the Boingboing website
Bounce Forward (Y5)
Bounce Forward. In this 10-week programme, co-developed by Lancashire Mind, Blackpool HeadStart and Boingboing, pupils, their friends, family and wider school community can use the Resilience Framework to learn about resilience and try out practical actions to promote resilience building.
Smart Moves (Y6/Y7 - transition)
The Smart Moves Workbooks have been put together by Eikon Charity, adapted from or inspired by The Resilient Classroom Resource Pack written by Sam Taylor, Angie Hart and Hove Park School as part of the Academic Resilience Approach. Student and Teacher packs are available for Years 6 and 7. Smart Moves helps students develop resilience to address common anxieties when transitioning from Year 6 to 7. It equips teachers to facilitate evidence-based sessions around building resilience and good mental health. More info about Smart Moves on the Eikon website
Ready Set Resilience - (Y9)
Ready, Set, Resilience is a workbook and supporting guidance created to support young people’s resilience aimed at year 9 students. It uses mixture of activities which support individual resilience (beating the odds) and activities to support changing the odds like activism.
ReMiT - C&YP - (11+)
The Resilient Minds Toolkits are co-produced guides written by young people and parents/carers to support young people’s resilience and mental health.
ReMiT - Parents and carers
The Resilient Minds Toolkits are co-produced guides written by young people and parents/carers to support young people’s resilience and mental health.
Supporting Children and Young People’s Mental Health A Guide for Schools (secondary)
Supporting Children and Young People’s Mental Health Supporting children and young people’s mental health is a research-based guide created for any member of school staff who is concerned about a child or young person’s mental health and wellbeing. Sections include the role of the school to support C&YP MH; a resilience approach to MH in schools; supporting C&YP experiencing common MH issues.
Supporting Children and Young People’s Mental Health | Covid-19 Pandemic supplement (still a useful guide and addition to the main document)
The Resilient Classroom - A Resource Pack for Tutor Groups - (11+)
This resilient classroom resource was created and developed to provide practical help for tutors and other pastoral staff and is suitable for use in the tutor group setting. It supports the tutor group structure and helps build relationships between tutors and students. Students and heads of years have been involved, through consultation and participation, in providing useful and appropriate exercises.
The Academic Resilience Approach
Academic Resilience – beating the odds for better results, is an approach for schools devised by Lisa Williams and Professor Angie Hart and adopted by YoungMinds. Based on Professor Hart’s collaborative resilience work at the University of Brighton and Boingboing.
Our resources help any school establish systems to build ‘resilience approaches’ that support disadvantaged pupils over time through a whole school approach. Benefitting all pupils and increasing academic resilience, the ARA helps everyone in the school community play a part.
Healthy Minds and London Grid for Learning - Short Resilience Resources Based on The Resilience Framework
Based on The Resilient Classroom, Young Minds have selected what they consider to be key activities. These have been simplified and made available individually (there are 25) for LGFL and TRUSTnet schools. By encouraging tutor group students to try out these activities, we are hoping that students may be able to better cope with the challenging aspects of school and day-to-day life.
More about the development of the Resilience Framework and Boingboing
Boingboing is the home of the Resilience Framework with access to resources / information about resilience, the Framework and more.
The Headstart programme in Blackpool have done some super work around the Resilience Framework. This website has a fab interactive framework with ideas for resilient moves.
Books
Find more book reviews and books linked to resilience in our wellbeing book club
Book: Resilient therapy: Working with children and families Angie Hart, Derek Blincow & Helen Thomas (2007). Hove: Routledge.
Don’t be put off by ‘therapy’ in the title. Although it is not written for a universal audience This is a very readable book describing the origins and underpinning theory of the Resilience Framework in more detail. Not an essential book but if you are interested in understanding more about the Resilience Framework it provides a very good grounding.
Book: Ordinary Magic - Resilience in Development by Anne S Masten
From a pioneering researcher, this book synthesizes the best current knowledge on resilience in children and adolescents. Ann S. Masten explores what allows certain individuals to thrive and adapt despite adverse circumstances, such as poverty, chronic family problems, or exposure to trauma. Coverage encompasses the neurobiology of resilience as well as the role of major contexts of development: families, schools, and culture. Identifying key protective factors in early childhood and beyond, Masten provides a cogent framework for designing programs to promote resilience.
“Nobody understands resilience as well as Ann Masten, and nobody writes about it as clearly, wisely, and deeply as she does. Dr. Masten is both a creator of new knowledge and a compelling narrator of the science and interventions that address how children manage to thrive in spite of adverse conditions" (Reviewer)
Why 'Ordinary Magic'?
"What began as a quest to understand the extraordinary has revealed the power of the ordinary. Resilience does not come from rare and special qualities, but from the everyday magic of ordinary, normative human resources in the minds, brains, and bodies of children, in their families and relationships, and in their communities".
Academic Resilience Approach
Schools who are working with Mental Health Support Team and Mental Health leads to plan a whole school approach to mental health and resilience can use the free-to-download resources on the Boingboing website. These excellent materials, developed with schools, academics and young people, have helped schools and colleges all over the country to implement the Academic Resilience Approach (ARA). This was developed with YoungMinds and there are films about it here Schools and colleges love the ARA because it uses their strengths and reinforces a resilient culture that gives bouncebackability to pupils, families and staff.
Check out the Start Now You Tube Channel
There are some useful videos on our Start Now You Tube Channel including young people talking about resilience right at the start of the Headstart Programme and featuring one of the YP who helped get Headstart Kernow up and running back then... (his the one showing great resilience by doing take after take when filming) 😊 and one about online bullying created by a young person in Cornwall that was, in part, the reason we began to refocus on resilience.
Here Professor Angie Hart from Boingboing gives a terrific talk on making resilient moves (16mins)
Acknowledgement: (The Resilience Framework originated from the research and work of Professor Angie Hart, Dr Derek Blincow and Helen Thomas in 2007. See www.boingboing.org.uk for further details).