The US government's budget proposal threatens access to health services, education, and support for hundreds of thousands of families through significant cuts to programs like Head Start, which has already been affected by staffing shortages and rising costs under the previous administration. Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association, expressed concern over potential further reductions that could harm families served by the program.
https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/education/head-start-survives-trump-administration-budget-proposalThe article discusses the challenges young people face in building meaningful lives, highlighting that social connection is crucial for happiness. Isabel Fattal writes about this issue, suggesting that it's hard for young people to find their place and build relationships during a difficult time.
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/05/americans-isolation-young-adults/682689/The author, Suleika Jaouad, initially views a cancer support group for young adults as depressing and unappealing, preferring to maintain her distance from fellow patients. However, after a year of treatment, she finds herself isolated and lonely despite the group's presence, highlighting the difference between prioritizing quantity over quality in friendships.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/love-illness-loneliness-friends/682685/Russell Banks introduces Mavis Gallant's collection "Varieties of Exile" by highlighting the short story's ability to speak to individuals who feel isolated and unimportant, particularly those who are orphaned, exiled, or abandoned. Gallant's writing often implies aloneness rather than stating it directly, as seen in her story "New Year’s Eve," where a character feels deposited in a place with no one to talk to and is not loved.
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2025/05/mavis-gallant-knew-costs-freedom/682652/Pastor Kang, leader of Revive The Nations Ministry, has shared his personal journey through hell on social media after initially keeping it private. He discovered a study in Frontiers in Psychology that found up to 10% of near-death experiences involve torture or hellish landscapes. Through online connections, Kang met others who described similar underworld experiences and some who visited heaven, mirroring his own accounts.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14532535/I-took-life-went-straight-hell-heres-torture-endured-pit-blackness.htmlA recent conference on social psychiatry in Rawalpindi discussed the growing psychological problems caused by terrorism in Pakistan, with experts like Dr. Mazhar Malik and Dr. Jamal Nasir highlighting the need to raise awareness to reduce mental illnesses. The event, organized by several medical associations, aimed to educate participants about the effects of terrorism on society and provide solutions. Renowned psychiatrists like Professor Mian Abdul Rashid and Peshawar's Professor Wajid Ali Akhunzada shared their insights on the topic, while Dr. Jamal Nasir distributed shields among attendees at the conclusion of the conference.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1307998-social-conditions-main-reason-for-mental-illnesses-in-pakistanBritish Columbia is mourning the loss of lives in a tragic attack on a festival in Vancouver, where 30-year-old Adam Kai-Ji Lo has been ordered to undergo a mental health assessment before his trial. Premier Eby expressed solidarity with the Filipino community, who were particularly affected by the tragedy, and praised first responders and festival organizers for their bravery. The city is coming together to support each other, with a memorial mass attended by members of the Filipino community, including Eric Urmaza and Lovely Condez, who described the attack as "devastating" and said it would be a mark in their lives forever.
https://thestar.com/news/canada/british-columbia/unspeakable-tragedy-grief-and-solidarity-at-vancouver-festival-memorial-mass/article_bff7ccfb-666b-53cc-9e73-0380abef0aca.htmlA Canadian judge has ordered Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, to undergo a mental health assessment due to concerns about his fitness for trial after he allegedly drove his SUV through a Filipino heritage festival crowd in Vancouver, killing 11 people and injuring dozens.
https://www.boston25news.com/news/world/judge-orders-mental/X3P3KIEDDNBTXPZP4EUUIRD7OA/Australia's leading family violence prevention advocates and experts are calling for a dedicated national support service to address the needs of tens of thousands of children impacted by family violence every year. The Family Court is introducing a Children's Charter, backed by Chief Justice William Alstergren, to ensure young people's needs are prioritized in court proceedings. Despite 37,000 incidents reported by Victoria Police last year, Safe Steps chief executive Dr Chelsea Tobin says young people are still not being treated as victims in their own right.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/invisible-victims-calls-for-reform-as-family-violence-system-fails-children-20250501-p5lvtu.html