And for your next class ... Jenga? In the midst of exam and graduation season, teenagers are most likely to be ready for a mental health breakdown, which is exactly why Cochrane High School students spent last Thursday doing yoga and petting puppies.
And for your next class ... Jenga?
In the midst of exam and graduation season, teenagers are most likely to be ready for a mental health breakdown, which is exactly why Cochrane High School students spent last Thursday doing yoga and petting puppies.
“I think it's really beneficial, ” said Cassidy Wambold, 16.
“It's a nice day to de-stress and figure out ways to work on your own mental health. ”
On May 4, the high school featured its sixth annual Self Care and Coping workshops, put on by the school's Psych Club, in support of Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week.
In the morning, students were invited to listen to the two guest speakers, Kail Brummitt, a University of Calgary researcher who specializes in mental health, and Cochrane High alumnus Haley Kaminski who spoke to the group about struggling with mental illness and an eating disorder.
“(Today) definitely helps spread awareness to others who don't understand mental health issues and it creates a stress free day for us, especially with exams coming up, ” said Rayne Robson, 17.
The rest of the morning allowed students to attend half-session workshops, which included yoga, playing Jenga and chess, music magic, colouring mandalas, mindful breathing, and the power of pets.
Two pooches from Chestermere's Therapy Dog Society sat on the grass outside the school for the day where students were welcome to sit and pet the dogs. It was one of the favourite workshops, which had some of the teens whining in protest when they had to switch to their next stress-free activity.
Laurie Forbes, one of the volunteers who brought her 15-year-old pooch, explained how therapeutic bringing her dog to high schools can be.
“You just see people light up and the stress in their face leave, ” Forbes said.
The school also had full-day session workshops where the students could make mala bead bracelets or galaxy putty.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians through a family member, or colleague. Additionally, 20 per cent of all Canadians experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
“It is estimated that 10 to 20 per cent of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder … The total number of 12 to 19 year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is a staggering 3.2 million, ” the website stated.
According to the stats, only one out of five children in Canada who needs mental health services will receive them.
The Psychology Club has been hosting these workshops to ensure there is support and programs for the school's most vulnerable and also as a way to guarantee learners feel well, safe, valued and respected.
Asking the students how they felt after a day of focusing on self-care, most agreed it was “awesome. ”
