The aces of info | Teens, French and Poutine

Every Sunday, The Press broadcasts the content of Les As de l’info, a new youth digital platform entirely devoted to daily news.

The emotions of teenagers, a real roller coaster!

Have you ever been to an amusement park, with rides that make your head spin? We live full of emotions at the same time: we laugh, we cry, we have fun, we are afraid. When we are teenagers, the same thing happens in our brain: we experience a lot of strong emotions. It is sometimes very difficult, but it is normal. We explain why!

In bookstores, there is a new book that explains what goes on in the brains of teenagers. It is written by Lisa Damour, a psychologist who lives in the United States. A psychologist is an emotional expert who helps people who are experiencing difficulties.

The author of the book is also the mother of two teenagers aged 12 and 19. She hopes her book will help parents better understand why teens throw tantrums, argue with friends or cry often.

Being sad is normal

In her book, Lisa Damour reminds us that negative emotions are part of life, like anger and sadness. “Somewhere along the way, we started to be afraid of being unhappy,” writes M^me Of love.

According to her, it is impossible to always be in a good mood. There are situations that make us unhappy, and we have to learn to deal with them.

The psychologist gives the example of a teenager who is depressed because his family is going to move to a new city. He’s going to leave his friends, his school… it’s completely normal for him to feel a lot of pain.

M^me Damour offers this advice: “You don’t need to be alarmed if your teenager is sad about something for a short time, but you should be alarmed if he’s sad about everything for a long time. »

brain development

But why are teenagers so emotional? This is because, from the age of 11, the brain is developing very rapidly. A real revolution is taking place: neurons are multiplying at breakneck speed! Neurons are cells that can analyze and produce lots of information.

In teenage brains, there are a host of neural connections coming and going. This is what can cause waves of strong emotions, like in a merry-go-round.

When should we seek help?

Although it’s normal to feel sad, you or your loved ones should see a psychologist or other mental health expert if:

• the negative emotion persists;
• normal functioning is affected (no longer going to school, no longer seeing friends, etc.);
• we are tempted by dangerous behaviors (e.g. taking drugs).

Based on a text by Silvia Galipeau, The Press

In French please !

The International Day of La Francophonie took place this week. By the way, how come we speak French in Quebec? And why do we say that our language is in danger? Mélanie explains all this to you!

Arrest warrant for Putin: what does it mean?

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is the organization responsible for judging the worst crimes committed in the world, issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is accused of war crimes. But beware, that does not mean that Vladimir Putin is going to prison. We explain to you.

Thousands of children were reportedly abducted

War crimes are particularly serious and violent acts committed during an armed conflict. It is the role of the International Criminal Court, located in The Hague, the Netherlands, to investigate and try these crimes. One such crime: the illegal deportation of children from one country to another.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, organizations say that the Russian authorities have kidnapped thousands of Ukrainian children and taken them by force to Russia. The ICC investigated these claims for more than a year.

On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against the Russian President, who is held responsible for these crimes. Putin even signed a new law allowing Russians to adopt Ukrainian orphans in a single day, and change their name, date of birth and place of birth.

The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant against the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia, the person who deals with cases concerning young people, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.

What will happen to Putin?

What you need to know, however, is that the International Criminal Court only has the power to act on the territories that are members of it… and Russia is not a member.

Moreover, Russia denies all ICC charges. It is therefore very (very) unlikely that she will handcuff Vladimir Putin and the commissioner to bring them to court in The Hague. It is therefore not known how the International Criminal Court intends to proceed further.

One thing is certain: it sends the message to the whole world that this kind of crime should not be ignored!