I was delighted when I was asked to help open today's conference. 很高興大家今天邀請我來爲今天的會議活動開幕。 I want to start by saying a big thank you to all of the head teachers here today. I know how much is asked of you. 首先，我想對我們所有在場的校長們說一句真誠的謝謝，我知道你們爲自己的工作付出了巨大的努力。 The fact that you are all committing your valuable time to support Place2Be, and prioritise the mental health of your students is something that all parents should be grateful for. 你們把自己寶貴的時間和精力投入到我們的Place2Be項目中，並且在具體工作當中一直把學生的心理健康作爲重中之重，僅此，就足以贏得所有家長們的感謝。 I often get asked why I decided to spend time highlighting the mental health of children. I imagine my answer might be similar to many of yours. 別人經常問我說爲什麼我一直這麼關注兒童心理健康的發展，我的答案可能和大家心裏面想的差不多。 I know that I was lucky. My parents and teachers provided me with a wonderful and secure childhood where I always knew I was loved, valued and listened to. 我很幸運，小時候，父母和老師的關愛讓我度過了非常難忘的童年，那時候我能感覺到有人疼愛自己、欣賞自己、傾聽自己。 But of course many children are not so lucky. Since beginning my work in areas like addiction, for example, I have seen time and time again that the roots of poor mental health in adulthood are almost always present in unresolved childhood challenges. 但是我們的世界上有很多的孩子並不像我這麼幸運，比如說，自從我開始接觸一些吸毒上癮的人之後，我經常發現這些成年人之所以會出現嚴重的心理問題其根源都是小時候曾經遭遇過巨大的創傷。 I am sure you will agree that all children deserve time, attention and love from the adults in their lives. These basic qualities are so much more valuable than the always changing material and social concerns that can seem so important to young people. 我相信大家都認爲孩子應當得到大人的關懷、陪伴和理解，比起現代社會裏年輕人層出不窮的物質需求和社會考量，這些纔是他們最需要的東西。 As today's theme reminds us, many children – even those from stable, happy homes – are finding that their heads are just too full. It is our duty, as parents and as teachers, to give all children the space to build their emotional strength and provide a strong foundation for their future. 就像今天活動的主題所不斷提醒我們的一樣，許多孩子，包括那些來自於幸福而穩定的家庭裏的，都被太多的東西佔據了自己的身心。作爲家長和老師，我們有責任爲孩子們打造一片他們能夠用來建築自己情感力量的天地，有責任來爲他們未來的發展打下堅實的基礎。 Of course, not all children have the anchor of a strong family. Many will arrive through your school gates feeling a real lack of love and devotion in their lives. This often leaves them feeling insecure and without confidence and trust in the world around them. That is why your work is so important. 當然，並不是所有的孩子都有一個堅強的家庭來作爲他們成長的後盾，許多每天穿梭於學校和家庭之間的孩子們總是深深地感覺到自己的生活裏缺少父母的關愛。也正因如此，他們的心裏總是充滿了不安全感，對周圍的世界沒有信心和信任。我們工作的重要性也就是在這些孩子的身上所體現的。 Parents, teachers and other school staff need the tools to help these young people early in their lives. And the earlier, the better. It is proven that early action prevents problems later in life. 家長、老師和其他所有的學校工作人員都需要用適當的方式儘早地幫助這些孩子，越早越好。很多的案例都已證明，如果我們能儘早採取措施，那麼很多的問題後來就不會發生。 Imagine if everyone was able to help just one child who needs to be listened to, needs to be respected, and needs to be loved – we could make such a huge difference for an entire generation. 想像一下，如果每個人都能幫助一個需要傾聽、需要尊重、需要疼愛的孩子，那麼我們就能夠改變整整一代人。 As head teachers you have the chance to reach tens of thousands of children during your careers, and make an impact on a great scale. Thank you for making the work of Place2Be part of your mission. I hope you know how much your work is valued. 作爲校長，你們有機會在自己的職業生涯中接觸到成千上萬的學生，有機會去影響一大批未來的年輕人，感謝你們把Place2Be作爲自己的一項使命來完成，衷心地希望你們能知道我們對你們的工作是多麼地感激。 Thank you – I am really looking forward to the rest of the afternoon. 謝謝！我很期待今天下午接下來的活動。
