Did you know that January is International Brain Teaser Month? We always emphasise physical health, though now and then it’s important to give your brain a good workout. Brain teasers are a fabulous way to keep your mind challenged and focused.

Nowadays, there are a plethora of teasers out there, from puzzles to phone apps with daily reminders, from easy tasks to seriously sophisticated! Here are our top five ways to challenge your brain!

Plus, check out our Facebook page where we’ll be sharing some brain teasers just for you!

1. Riddles

Two trains are heading towards each other on the same track, on the
same day, both at seven o’clock. Why do they not crash? To answer this
question, your brain needs to think “outside of the box”. You can test yourself
trying to figure out the answer, and once you know, try challenging your
colleagues and friends.

Riddles are a great way to sharpen your brain, and usually very fun!
These brain teasers pose questions that have to be answered using the
information within the riddle. At times these teasers are simple, and they can
be answered relatively quickly. At other times the questions are more taxing. 

By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the answer is one train is travelling at 7 pm and the other at 7 am.

2. Optical Illusions

Do you remember the magic eye? Optical illusions were all the rage back in the 1990s, long before the internet became an indispensable part of our lives. Optical illusions were a sensational trend as everyone tried to see things others found hard to see!

The magic eye series of books featured auto-stereograms, which allow some people to see 3D images by focusing on 2D patterns. But don’t worry if these don’t work for you. Optical illusions don’t work on everyone: depth perception requires both eyes to work in conjunction. This means people with impaired depth perception or people who have one exceptionally dominant eye (in other words, a “lazy eye”) will often find it more difficult to spot the image.

3. Classic Board Games

Playing a board game with friends is an excellent way to keep your brain ticking. It’s best to look for games that involve strategy or an element of problem-solving. One such example is quiz games, since they tap into many areas of our brain and there’s a race against time element to them.

Scrabble is also an excellent board game that stimulates the brain and helps you grow your vocabulary. You can play with a large group of friends and really make a night of it

4. Download An App!

If you want to set your own goals and challenge yourself daily, then why not download a brain training app? There are countless brain-training apps which let you go through a personalized training program to improve your focus, cognitive skills and processing speed. Most apps will include games intended to boost productivity, self-confidence, and learning ability on the go.

5. Puzzles

Sudoku is an obvious choice when it comes to brain-teasing puzzles, though if maths isn’t for everyone, word searches, crosswords and even dot-to-dots are all great puzzles to play where your brain is in an active thinking state.

Other than print-based problems, why not consider adult jigsaw puzzles consisting of thousands of pieces! You can even find 3D puzzles these days, and these are excellent for your brains visual and spatial skills!

Keep Your Brain Fit In 2020 With A Mental Workout

There are so many ways to challenge yourself. Brain teasers help exercise your brain and are a
welcome addition in the fight against cognitive decline. Along with physical
exercising, eating healthy, and socialising as much as possible, brain teasers are a refreshing activity!

You can also use the hashtag #BrainteaserMonth to find mentally-stimulating challenges on social media, or even post your own if you’ve seen or thought of a fun and challenging question or puzzle to give to others, so go on, give brain teasers a go!

18+ | begambleaware.org | Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Terms & Conditions apply.

DOT and the Cisco Foundation announce a partnership to develop a youth-led response to the global climate challenge

Responding to the calls to action from youth within DOT’s network across Africa and the Middle East – young people who are living through some of the worst impacts of the climate emergency – Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) today announces a new area of focus that leverages its proven, impact driven, youth-led model in response to the climate crisis. With support from the Cisco Foundation, young women and men will develop solutions that leverage digital tools, the creativity of young people and the power of DOT’s network of young leaders to increase community awareness and resilience to the local shocks and stresses caused by climate change.

The initial project will establish a foundation for solutions that can demonstrate, motivate and mobilize thousands of other young leaders of change and millions of citizens to take action that contributes to climate resilience in their own communities.

The ‘Youth-led Community Climate Awareness and Action’ project embraces the principles of digital inclusion, women’s empowerment and the belief in young people as leaders of change. DOT and Cisco believe that communities can experience an inclusive green transition when young people are empowered with the skills, tools and technology to lead in their communities. 

Over the next 12 months, DOT will consult with climate experts, co-design and digitize programmatic interventions with youth, run community-based pilots to test and verify a youth-led climate program and toolkit for dissemination in 2024. 

Building on a legacy of youth-led community development

The Youth-led Community Climate Awareness and Action project will be realized through DOT’s youth-led model, a unique model which mobilizes a movement of local youth, and empowers them with the skills, tools, and knowledge to lead community transformation. With over 20 years of proven impact, the model has reached 3 million community members.  

Deeply interconnected with livelihoods, human rights and inclusion, climate change is creating serious impacts to other global challenges. Young people, particularly young women, are incredibly vulnerable to climate change impacts. With the support of the Cisco Foundation, the project is rooted in the voices and lived realities of young people as witnessed in the DOT network. Addressing climate change is both an opportunity and a prerequisite for youth to thrive in an inclusive digital economy – DOT and Cisco will lead the way. 

DOT Founder and CEO, Janet Longmore, says: “At the heart of DOT’s mission, is the belief that young people — equipped with the knowledge, skills and the support and trust of the international development ecosystem — will apply their energy, creativity and impatience to lead community-based grassroots climate response at an incredible pace and scale. DOT has proven that one young person mobilized through skills, confidence and a network of support, working alongside governments, the private sector, civil society and their communities, can reach hundreds of others, increasing the collective resilience to local climate change shocks and stresses”.

She adds: “By creating a movement of digitally-savvy youth with the skills, confidence and attitudes to transform their communities, DOT has been working for 21 years to advance digital inclusion. This is why we are committed to extending our youth-led model to address the climate crisis. The model positions young women and men as climate champions who will build climate awareness among their peers and citizens, advocate for climate action, and innovate in the green economy. We are starting in Tanzania and Lebanon and we intend to scale to other countries in the Middle East and Africa”. 

A long-term partnership with the Cisco Foundation

DOT and Cisco have a long history collaboration. Starting 21 years ago, when the Cisco Foundation supported the initial development and implementation of the youth-led model, through the present day, the organizations have worked together in the Middle East, Africa, the USA, China and Mexico – driven by a shared belief in the potential of young people and the power of technology to lead responsible change.

Peter Tavernise, Climate Impact and Regeneration Portfolio lead of the Cisco Foundation, notes: “An effective response to climate change, and the reinforcing of climate action and resilience in all communities requires the efforts of everyone. We have always valued DOT’s channels to youth and the organization’s ability to engage young people as respected leaders who bring the creativity, concerns and the voices of youth to the table.”

Extending the hand, and power, of partnership, we welcome others with shared beliefs to join us in the Youth-Led Community Climate Awareness and Action initiative.