A best-selling author and public speaker has been at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School this week helping students navigate some of the challenges they may be facing in their lives.

Rosalind Wiseman is co-founder of Cultures of Dignity and is also the author of several books, including the best-selling 'Queen Bees and Wannabes,' which was turned into the movie Mean Girls.

Wiseman says that a culture of dignity is based on the recognition of every individual's worth and the concept can be a valuable foundation on which to base conflict resolution.

"It means that we are teaching young people that they need to be able to handle themselves and to be strong and confident and be able to handle the troubles and conflicts that happen, because conflicts will happen," she explains. "And that the most important thing in those moments is to treat yourself with worth and the other person with worth at the same time. But that's not weak -- it's being able to stand up for yourself in the best of ways."

Wiseman points out that youth today are still facing issues that seem to have been around for a long time, such as jealousy and friendship issues as well as family challenges, but the use of social media can add to those struggles.

"I think they're feeling like they are constantly being judged by other people, but they are also judging other people all the time because of social media," she says. "I think that there is a feeling that they have to be perfect at something, or maybe perfect at all things, and that people, again, are judging you. And you can't make a mistake because if you make a mistake people will pile on and make you feel terrible."

She says there are always two sides to most stories and it's important that people talk to each other, as well as listen, in times of conflict, adding that approach can "make our communities, our villages, a lot stronger."

Wiseman, who is based out of Denver, Colorado, stresses that it's important for young people to know that it's okay to make mistakes and that they have a support system to help them through those challenging times.

"Kids are really anxious, young people are incredibly anxious," she points out. "And that might look like not being motivated, that might look like you're depressed, there's lots of reasons for anxiety. I think it's really important for us to say to young people, 'You are going to make mistakes and it's going to be okay and we're going to be by your side as you make mistakes, even really, really, awful ones."

In addition to her presentations to the students at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, Wiseman also held a public presentation Tuesday night at the school.

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