Elmer S. Gish students will have their hats on and their heads in the clouds this Education Week as they learn all about good mental health.
Education Week is April 29 to May 3 in Alberta. St. Albert schools are celebrating by holding spell-a-thons, schoolyard cleanups, mural paintings, and art shows.
Many students will also sport hats on their heads this May 1 as part of Hats On for Mental Health Day. Organized by the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Canadian Mental Health Association, this day encourages people to wear hats to show their willingness to talk about mental health issues.
Elmer S. Gish principal Krysta Wilson said her school was going all-out for mental health education this week. In addition to wearing hats on May 1, students are talking about mental health during morning video announcements, writing positive messages on the sidewalk with chalk, and hearing a talk by mental health advocate Wade Sorochan on the effects of social media. (Sorochan will host a second session for parents on Thursday evening at Gish.)
At 10:10 a.m. on May 1, all 960-odd students will march out of the school, form a giant circle, and spend a few moments watching the clouds float by in a mass meditation exercise, Wilson said.
“What we’re trying to do is encourage students to take a moment to slow down and quiet their minds,” she explained.
Assisting them in their mental health journey will be St. Albert mindfulness and yoga guru Donna Freeman, who will be at the school this week to show students the power of yoga and affirmations.
“The words we say to ourselves can be extremely powerful,” Freeman explained, and for many youths, those words are ones along the lines of “I suck” or “I’m a loser.” Those words shape mental attitudes and can become self-fulfilling.
“Maybe you made a mistake ... but that doesn’t make you a loser,” she said.
“It just means you’re going to try again tomorrow.”
Freeland said she’d be teaching kids to use yoga and positive self-messages to improve their lives, and show them how to better appreciate the now instead of fretting about the past or future.
Talking it out
About one in four Canadians aged nine to 19 (about one million youths) had a diagnosed mental illness in 2011, reports the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Studies in other nations suggest that early mental health intervention for kids could save Canada billions in health care costs.
Social media and the packed natures of modern schedules leave kids little time for self-reflection, which affects mental health, Freeman said. Parents can address this by taking their kids outdoors for a walk or a picnic.
“Nature has a lovely calming quality,” she said, and being outdoors gives you time to reflect on your life.
One of the most important steps you can take for your child’s mental health is to talk to them on a regular basis, Freeman said. Even those brief chats in the car can help. Try sharing one good and one bad event about your day, and ask your kid to do the same.
“Parents are the most important people in a child’s life,” she said, and have great influence over a child’s attitudes and beliefs.
Freeman said events like Hats On for Mental Health help de-stigmatize mental illness and show those who have it that they can talk about it with others.
“You don’t need to suffer in silence.”
Visit canwetalk.ca for more on Hats On for Mental Health.
