By Nick Miller
London: A small Australian publisher working to help kids with anxiety has taken a top prize at the London Book Fair awards night.
The fair's Educational Initiatives Award went to Quirky Kids, a child psychology clinic in Wollongong, for its initiative Basecamp which takes kids on a journey through a fictional national park to help explore their emotions.
The Basecamp book and game helping children manage anxiety.
The annual fair is one of the world’s biggest publishing trade events, where publishers and distributors assess the competition and negotiate global rights.
Leonardo Rocker, director at Quirky Kids, said anxiety was one of the most common reasons children were referred to their clinic – and it is on the rise.
“The pressures that we place on kids in modern society, and the expectations people put around them [has led to] anxiety presentations becoming more and more common,” he said.
“But anxiety is quite easy to treat if you have the right tools and expertise.”
The small Australian publisher, Quirky Kids,won the prestigious educational book prize in London.
One six year-old child had been referred to the clinic because he was anxious about being separated from his parents – this had led to more problems using public transport or going on school excursions. They were afraid of some teachers at school, Rocker said.
But intervention had helped them manage their anxiety.
“That impacts on the whole family, and peers as well,” Rocker said.
In the past few years the clinic has started putting its knowledge and techniques into books and kits for children, parents and teachers.
It has become a quiet Australian success story, used by thousands of organisations around the world.
Basecamp, launched earlier this year, is designed for children aged 7 to 12. It includes a workbook, props and cards – as children work their way around the national park map they learn relaxation techniques and other ways to reduce anxiety and manage its impact on their lives.
They also learn how to explain their anxiety to parents and peers.
The award judges commented: “Now more than ever children and families need resources like Quirky Kid’s Basecamp. This engaging, child-centred approach would make a real difference in building children’s resilience”.
Rocker said the award would help them find a global audience and market for Basecamp. They have already had interest from Germany and Spain.
Quirky Kids was a finalist in the same award in 2016.