![]() ![]() Speaking about one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever conducted, he said, ‘When we looked back at the data, we found that the people who were more connected to others stayed the healthiest and lived the longest.’ Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, spoke about the benefits of good relationships in ‘staying happier and healthier’ throughout life. Sara Rajeswaran, chief of staff at Aviva speaking at the Symposium PHOTO Andrew Parsons/ Kensington Palace She added, ‘In the New Year, the taskforce will be calling on more businesses across the UK to act on early childhood and social and emotional development.’ Sara Rajeswaran, chief of staff at Aviva, a key member of the Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, which the Princess launched in March, told attendees that business has 'a vested interest in spearheading and supporting this movement' and that 'if children can't reach their full potential, nor can our businesses or the wider economy’. It doesn’t mean exactly that this is the way it’s going to be for the rest of your life.’ He said, ‘What everyone needs to keep in mind is that what happens early is very important but it’s not highly deterministic. Professor Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard (pictured right), who the princess previously met during a visit to Boston last year, spoke about how early experiences shape the architecture of the developing brain. The day featured talks from experts making the scientific, economic and human cases for prioritising early childhood and social and emotional development. Mental health and well-being advocate and Shaping Us Champion, Fearne Cotton (pictured below with the Princess of Wales), hosted the event. But rebalancing and restoring calls for ‘new thinking and action at every level’, she concluded. Social and emotional skills are ‘the bedrock’ for helping children thrive and for ‘restoring, protecting, and investing in humankind’. ![]() She adds, ‘Nurturing skills that enable us to know ourselves, manage our emotions, focus our thoughts, communicate with others, foster positive relationships and explore the world are just as valuable to our long-term success as reading, writing or arithmetic.’ No matter how outwardly successful they may be.’ ![]() ‘How they manage anxiety, low mood, tantrums, self-loathing or anger these are the things that will shape their future lives, and without solid foundations in childhood, they may become vulnerabilities later. Launching details of the findings, she said, ‘The latest science clearly indicates that early childhood development must focus on more than just the physical and technical skills of our children – we also need to prioritise their inner worlds too. The symposium brings together cross-disciplinary leaders, child and adult specialists and global thinkers to ‘unite thinking’ and agree on the ‘key foundational skills we lay in early childhood’ that can help establish ‘happy, healthy adult lives’. She engaged with 100 leading experts from 21 countries around the world, posing the question: what are the key skills we develop in early childhood, but continue to grow beyond it, that help establish the core foundations for life and allow us to go on to thrive as adults? The Princess initiated a ‘global listening exercise’ earlier this year, focusing on the importance of developing a ‘social and emotional skill set’.
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