1. For the first article I read, about Australia nearly eliminating cervical cancer, three key points that I will take away from this story is: Middle/low income countries are still struggling with this cancer severely; Cervical cancer is the world's 4th type of cancer prevalent in women; The biggest feature that helped Australia minimize cervical cancer wasn't the vaccination alone, but it was the government funded screening for it. 

1a. The second article I read was how teachers are using meditation apps like Calm and headspace to improve child retention in the classroom. Three key points I learned from this article: meditation helps relieve anxiety and stress in everyone at every age, teachers are incorporating meditation and it has improved children's results, teachers are more encouraged to teach things important in life (like stress management) rather than focusing on children memorizing facts.  

2. The article I read goes on to explain how Cervical Cancer in Australia may be eliminated soon. As of now, Cervical Cancer is the world's 4th most common type of cancer for women. Australia has been able to minimize, and almost eliminate, cervical cancer for many reasons. Doctors began by encouraging the government to provide vaccinations and screenings for women. They then moved to provide these vaccinations to men who carry the cancerous gene. Now, they have been able to eliminate traces of cervical cancers in their people. According to The Lancet Public Health, by 2028 fewer than 4 out of 100,000 women will be affected by cervical cancer in Australia. 

2a. The second article in highlight that I read talks about how teachers are moving from a traditional way of teaching to one that incorporates anti-stress and anti-anxiety methods of learning. I think this is an INCREDIBLE thing to read and I am glad teachers are finally realizing the stress students feel these days. Teachers are using apps like Calm to separate children from their work, relax, and regather themselves before starting a new subject. One teacher mentioned how she decided to launch "Calm time" in her classroom because it would take her 10 minutes alone to get children settles and relaxed after recess to start a new subject. Now with "Calm time" she's able to relax them in a way that excites them and actually works. 

3. Reading this was a great experience for me. I really learned a lot about cervical cancer and how we have been taking proactive measures to eliminate it. As I was reading the article, I started to wonder, hm, why doesn't the US have these same results? And as I kept reading, they addressed how the US doesn't have as much political involvement in helping reduce cervical cancer. I, then, learned that children today are given the Gardasil shot to help prevent Cervical cancer. This was a shot I have been receiving for years and had no idea what it was ever intended for. But it was a great thing to read that one country is almost able to eliminate the presence of it. Slowly but surely, I hope we will be able to adapt these ideas to middle/low income countries. 

3. Reading the story about Calm and how children are incorporating meditation really stuck with me. I have been constantly saying how the competition to be the best, smartest, highest scoring student with children these days is out of control. Children in 5th grade are experiencing similar levels of stress that adults normally depict. There is such a focus on doing well in school and grades which is great, but has gotten out of hand because (some) children feel like doing mediocre or even poorly on a test is the end of the world. Therefore, i love that teachers are incorporating meditation in their lesson plans because it gives the children something to look forward to, helps re-stimulate their brain to carry on with the school day, and teaches them how to cope with stress/anxiety at a young age. 

4. Other stories I would like to give honorable mentions too are in my collection. A few of these include 3 men using intermittent fasting to no longer need insulin for their diabetes and an article that talks about how children can be saved from a terrible childhood (by terrible they mean early experience to things such as domestic violence, loss of a parent, incarceration, exposed to drugs, etc.).

5. The only thing else I would like to share is how enjoyable this social platform is. It makes us well informed on social world problems, proactive measures people are taking to help world problems, and what still needs vast amount of help. 

What are three to six key points or impressions that you will take away from these stories?

Write a 200-word reflection that engages, analyzes, critiques, expands upon, and/or questions what you read or listened to.

Share your reflections on your experience reading, watching or listening to the solutions journalism stories. Did you learn new information; gain new understanding; see things with a different perspective than you had in the past? Did the stories reinforce an idea or thought you'd previously had? Did you meet new people, or learn about opportunities you were previously unaware of? 

Were there other stories this week that you’d like to give an “honorable mention” -- that you enjoyed, but were not your top choice to share?

What else would you like to share?