Conflicts and turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have caused children and youth to be under an enormous amount of stress. Anxiety, depression and aggression are paramount. Puzzle Presenter Milad Hadchiti discusses the value of teaching children resilience and lovingly supporting them to grow up with a healthy mindset.

“Resilience is the new happiness,” shares Milad Hadchiti, Presenter of SAT-7 ACADEMY’s latest children’s program Puzzle. “If we want to be happy people, we need to be resilient. We need to welcome any obstacle with a growth mindset and with optimism. We need to go back to our resources: pray, believe, and sometimes let go. We must believe that a better version of us is going to win after all those obstacles.”

For five years, Milad has worked on implementing positive psychology through media on other channels. So, it was with great excitement that he accepted the proposal to work on the new SAT-7 ACADEMY project Puzzle. Through playing games on set, children invited onto the show and viewers, are entertained and taught valuable lessons about their rights, development skills, and cultivating a positive mindset.

Learning through playing

As Milad explains, nowadays learning in schools and universities, has become increasingly interactive. Learning through hands-on experience is more effective for most children, and when children play and have fun, they are open to hearing and absorbing new lessons.

“The main pillar I wanted to implement in this show is to apply some coaching psychology while we play. In the coaching field we have something called ‘creative coaching’ where people interact while playing and being entertained, and they learn something new in the process,” he shares.

Children share what they learned

After each episode the children take turns to go into the “confession room”, where Milad asks them what they learned, what impression the episode’s lesson had on them, and how they plan to develop these new skills.

Each episode’s games and exercises give the kids the opportunity to be aware of their abilities and choose to develop them more. “I never knew that as a girl, I could do physical exercises like boys,” shared one girl. Another shared that she had never tested her ability to think critically about a topic.

The right to their childhood

When asked what he would hope children would learn most about their rights, Milad shared, “These children have a lot of needs, they are dealing with a lot of struggles. We want them to learn that they have a right to a healthy and safe childhood. They have a right to play and be free to express themselves and think freely. They have a right to choose their life, a right to an education and the right to say ‘No’ to underage marriage.”

With certain freedoms come certain responsibilities. Milad explains how the program aims to instill a sense of responsibility and moral duty in their hearts and minds. Respect for diversity is a value that is being taught through playing in the program, as well as respect for society, communities, and the environment.

Children are being taught to search and find ways to make their communities better. On one episode, children were encouraged to distribute lemonade and give flowers to people on the street as an act of kindness. On another episode, Milad made a game out of collecting litter and dividing items to be recycled.

“We want to teach kids the value of making an impact in their communities and contributing to society,” Milad explains.

Training parents

On the topic of healing hurting adults, Milad shares how important it is to heal the layers of pain that some adults carry with them, to avoid further harming the next generation.

“Parents need training and support, because sometimes, they can damage their children without intending to,” says Milad. “This is what I do as my main job. I guide parents on raising healthy, resilient children, in a positive and constructive way.”

“Not taking care of your mental health can cause a lot of problems. In the MENA, teenagers and youth are suffering from many illnesses, difficulties, and a fixed negative mindset, simply because no one took care of their mental health. They suffer from depression, anxiety, and aggressiveness because they don’t know how to treat themselves and others around them with peace and ease. We want to raise this awareness with parents.”

About the Puzzle Presenter

Milad Hadchiti is a Positive Psychology Coach by profession. Before joining the SAT-7 ACADEMY program Puzzle, Milad worked on many other TV programs for adults, covering similar topics regarding positive psychology. As a psychologist, he also coaches parents on raising their children mindfully with constructive and positive approaches.