Lifestyle Features
REBRANDING RELIGION – Canvas Magazine
With the help of marketing gurus and new technology, Christianity is getting a makeover. Churches are spending big bucks to create a smarter, sharper, more liberal image. Will it be enough to fill the empty pews, asks Jehan Casinader. A hip-hop dance crew thunders into a high school assembly hall. As they dance, music by the Black Eyed Peas and Michael Jackson thumps from the PA system. After the performance, the dancers give away a new pair of skate shoes to one lucky student. As the classes leave the assembly hall, they’re treated to a sausage sizzle and plied with giveaways, while music is played across the courtyard. Read more…
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STARTING AT THE TOP – Canvas Magazine
Teenage athletes are expected to woo sponsors, charm the media, build a brand, and manage their money. All that, before they even turn up for practice. Jehan Casinader meets the gutsy young sportspeople who want to win on all fronts. They’re young, they’re talented, and in some cases, they’re loaded. New Zealand’s crop of elite teenage sportspeople is growing by the month. With the backing of big-name sponsors, the guidance of experienced coaches, and the attention of foreign media, they’re putting New Zealand on the map. Many have cut their schooling short, and brought their adolescence to an early end. Read more…
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HELPLINE OBSESSION – Herald on Sunday
New Zealand’s social helpline industry is booming. More than 120 helplines offer advice on everything from bipolar disorder to bladder control. The lines are busier than ever. Why are Kiwis so willing to pick up the phone? It’s a small, sparse room, containing a bed, desk, lamp and phone. The walls are made of plaster, and there’s barely a whisper of air through the tiny heating vent. Every evening, a volunteer hunkers down in this windowless room. They don’t get much sleep, though. The phone beside the bed will sometimes ring throughout the night. This room is part of the Wellington call centre for the Samaritans Helpline. Read more…
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DIY EDUCATION – Canvas Magazine
Some parents think schools are “jails for children”. They reckon there is a better way to learn. It sounds radical, but “unschooling” has become an unlikely alternative, writes Jehan Casinader. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it’s the driving force behind our learning. Toddlers poke their fingers in wall sockets, kids fry ants with magnifying glasses, and teenagers conduct all manner of experiments during adolescence. Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught, some say. So instead of teaching children the ways of the world, perhaps they should discover it themselves. That’s the thinking behind an unorthodox new style of education called “unschooling”. Read more…
