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Substantial

The on-going terror threat level

The UK Threat Level is Substantial which means a terrorist attack is likely.

News from the Department of Education

The Israel / Hamas conflict 

As we are all aware, the unfortunate conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused a lot of pain and death of late. Of course, we would like to recognise the solemn nature of this situation in as a respectful manner as we can, and encourage you to do the same should the subject ever come up in conversation with other people or learners. In addition, we are aware that this has caused a measurable increase in distress and the likelihood of terror related actions. The displays and marches all over the world have vindicated this sentiment in recent weeks. However, we would like to in-directly assure you all that there are certain measures that the government have put in place to protect the citizens of the UK and combat extremism wherever it may be. This is not a declaration of anything in particular as of course the UK government would not like to cause unnecessary conflict where possible, however, £3 million of extra funding has been dedicated to make sure that schools, colleges, nurseries, universities and all forms of educational institutions remain safe and protected as much as possible.

The only additional words of advice that we can offer to alleviate some stress from you, is to please seek out news that you wish to gain through only reputable sources, such as the BBC or credible publications. The proliferation of 'fake news' can be dangerous and lead to more complications due in no small part to misinformation. Facebook, social media and other 'conversation based' mediums are not always accurate and can cause more stress. So, please make sure that you do not gain information through the wrong sources and protect yourself from 'misinformation'.

Educate.Against.Hate 

To aid in the recent troubles the 'Educate.Against.Hate' body has provided resources to help people when discussing these sensitive issues. We may not be able to stop these things from happening, but we can discuss them in a productive way, that will help to answer questions while not casting opinion or aspersion on those asking these questions. There are resources for both educators and learners, so if you would like to learn more please click below:

Read more...

Grievancesat work leads to something thought unthinkable 

Clinical support worker, aged 28, planned to detonate a homemade bomb at the hospital where he worked because of grievances with work colleagues. Potential issues can arise all of the time and there is still a final verdict to be drawn for this individual. However, the facts as currently standing are that this man had constructed an IED in his home and planned to detonate the device in a hospital. 

However, if we can take away anything constructive from this potentially upsetting news. Firstly the man has been arrested and the device was not used. Secondly, if there is a potential to make sure that your company culture is supportive and open, we encourage you to do so; as we may be able to help individuals like this before they move on to more destructive behaviours. We would like to ask you to remain open and supportive to others, and not close yourselves off. This can promote suspicion and fear in your work colleagues, creating behaviours and a culture can lead to people feeling isolated and angry with their positions in life, professionally and potentially personally. Support each other and just maybe we can help people avoid paths like this...

Investigate further...

It's number confidence week!

November

The philosophy permeating this week is to get or be more confident with using numbers. Mathematics is a very important part of our world, whether that be as a tool in finance or the workings of general life.

But DON’T get worried or self-conscious, there are many ways that you can privately boost your skills and grow your mathematical knowledge. We would like to recommend an application and website called ‘Brilliant’ they gamify the process and help you to build your skills; not only in mathematics but you can venture into science concepts too…

However, if you’d like to take this a step further, you can get yourself a certification in Mathematics to show to employers and prove that you know your stuff. With Azesta you could undertake a functional skills workshop and learn what you need to, to feel more confident with numbers and gain a certification to open up more doors to you in the professional world.

Feel free to get in touch below…

Let's talk...

Guinness World Records Day

16th November

The Guinness World Records are absolutely inspiring: from Robert Wadlow - the world's tallest person, to Jesse Castenda the woman who set the world record for the longest walk in 24 hours at 228.930km / 142 miles 440 yd. This idea celebrates achievement across the world, pushing further, higher, faster, smaller, rounder? and so much more. We would like to always encourage you to strive for the best that you can do, no matter what it is. Achievement is achievement and should be celebrated. 

So strive for the best, we believe in you!

Check out some of the Guinness World Records below:

Link...

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

November

A little more of a solemn one. Lung cancer awareness month is a reminder to be aware of what is a reality for many of us. Cancer is horrible and although there are many more therapies and solutions than there were 20 years ago. Awareness is one of the best ways to combat it. If you have any suspicion that you or someone that you know may suffer from any form of cancer, we would encourage you to go and see a medical professional as soon as possible. They will be able to suggest the best treatments for this terrible condition and catching it early may be the best thing that you can do.

On another note, if you happen to smoke, this can severely effect the likelihood that you develop lung cancer, so we cannot encourage you enough to kick the habit and help your future self. There are many alternatives such as: patches, gum, mints, vaping and a relatively new one called FUM (fume). We of course only recommend these products to people who currently smoke or are struggling to quit, if you are not a smoker please DO NOT start. If you'd like to check it out click the link below:

FUM products...

National Recovery Month

November

Addiction is a heart-breaking part of the world today, affecting a wide range of people in various cultures and genders. Since the late 1990s, substance abuse or addiction has brought incalculable devastation, as deaths from these continue to increase around the world. 

The hope and purpose for National Recovery Month is to acknowledge and address these concerns, providing hope for the millions of individuals and families who are affected by addiction. So, please reach out if you are effected by addiction, there are so many paths out there to recovery, and all you have to do is ask.

NHS quit smoking - (tried, tested and recommended by one of our own staff members)

NHS drug addiction help

NHS alcohol support

Sources

https://www.azesta.co.uk/

https://www.educateagainsthate.com/blog/posts/how-to-speak-about-the-news-ongoing-conflicts-and-hold-discussions-on-difficult-topics-with-students/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12693195/Clinical-support-worker-planned-detonate-homemade-bomb-hospital-grievances-work-colleagues-not-terrorist.html

https://www.azesta.co.uk/contact/?utm_source=November_Hot_Topics&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Number_Confidence_Week

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/11/10/guinness-world-records-day-the-5-most-daring-and-strange-records-broken-around-the-world

https://tryfum.co.uk/collections/all-products-excluding-route

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/

Coming soon!

A free taster session for our Team Development workshops where you can get to grips with the general principles of team development, a select group of models to make use of and learn how to apply what you have learned to your daily life.

So if you'd like to see what this free taster session can do for you let us know here...

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