Empowering Children with One Simple Act of Kindness

Twice published author, Andrew Holt, has done it again! A Shooting Star is the Sunshine Coast local’s newest children’s book that encourages the core value of kindness in giving and receiving. This is no ordinary book, as the illustrations will be supplied by child illustrators from all over the globe and will the basis for educational programs to enhance feelings of self-worth, self and social awareness, and provide an antidote to bullying behaviour.

Using the books to kickstart The Shooting Star Movement, a mental health and wellbeing concept for our youth created by Andrew, whose twenty-five-year career as a teacher has seen him interact with students in over four- hundred schools, spanning many cultural backgrounds.

His simple but effective program uses applied positive psychology and strength-based learning to encourage each individual (child or adult) to give and receive a Shooting Star to aid in developing and acknowledging positive character traits in themselves and others.

This program has been trialled in schools over the last five years and was already fully integrated into one school in 2019, with other teachers expressing their eagerness to implement the program in 2020. Andrew sees the classroom as the ideal environment for what he now calls a movement, which aims to build mental wellbeing and resilience; key factors in preventing self-harm and suicide in young people.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among young Australians aged 15-24. In 2018, 22 children under the age of 14 committed suicide.

Andrew will launch A Shooting Star on Tuesday 17 th April with eight of the eighteen child illustrators in person, and the remainder joining via video link. The event will be held at the Ginger Factory in Yandina, Qld, after which, Andrew will follow a brief tour across the following week, acknowleding the students who participated at their own schools.

This is Andrew Holt’s third book on empowering children, following on from the first two releases from his Wise Kids Series: A Wise Water World Inspires Me and A Wise Apple Tree Helps Me.

You can find more about Andrew and A Shooting Star, register your interest, or purchase a pre-sale copy at the link below:
https://www.andrewgholt.com