AR
UR
Schools across Abu Dhabi are participating in necessary initiatives to raise awareness about mental health issues. Recently, primary students at a private school in Abu Dhabi wore their clothes inside out to encourage discussions related to children’s mental health.
The efforts were made as part of the “Inside Out Day” initiative aimed at representing 'what is going on inside is not always reflected on the outside.'
The idea to wear clothes inside out was suggested by Charlie Barker, a year six head boy at the British School Al Khubairat (BSAK), to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, which took place from 7-13 February. Inside Out Day was observed at several schools across the UK during the Children's Mental Health Week.
Charlie expressed happiness about the positive response towards the initiative.
“It makes some people talk about how they are feeling on the inside, so it makes me feel really happy. You never know when someone's actually feeling sound inside. Because it's sometimes a bit embarrassing talking about how you feel with other people. If you feel sad, you might think that people might say why are you feeling sad?” he said.
He further noted that wearing something inside out represents what the person feels on the inside.
“It's about showing awareness that everybody should be talking. So, it might actually get people thinking, ‘Should I talk?’," he added.
Children's mental health was immensely hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many young people studying online for months, it took a toll on their mental health and wellbeing. According to an analysis conducted by BBC, there had been a 77 percent increase in the number of children needing specialist treatment for mental health issues since 2020 when the pandemic hit countries across the world.
“A child may look happy and engaged in their learning. However, on the inside, the child may be incredibly anxious, might be in turmoil, might be incredibly upset about whatever's going on at home or about something that's happened on the way to school," said Sam Walter, assistant head of well-being and pastoral care (nursery-year six) at BSAK.
Walter underlined the need to not judge a book by its cover.
"The idea that just because you look OK, doesn't mean that you are OK," he added.
Evelyn Salisbury, a year six BSAK pupil, wore her clothes inside out to participate in the initiative.
“It makes me feel proud of who I am. For a person like me, I have a few worries on my mind. Usually getting rid of them makes me feel nice, especially talking to someone you can trust," she said.
Schools across the UAE including BSAK are focusing on improving the mental wellbeing of their pupils.
Speaking in this regard, Suzie Hachez, director of well-being at Cambridge International School Dubai, said 18 of its pupils have received training as mental health first aiders.
“Being the only school counsellor for a school of 2,800, I couldn't be everywhere. So I felt that if I will have some, some pupils understanding would help. The need was there and even more after coming back to face-to-face learning," she said.
She further underlined the need for having mental health specialists around the school to provide basic support within the class, during break time or in physical education classes.
Zainab Hussain, a 17-year-old Sri Lankan pupil at Cambridge International school Dubai, is one of the mental health first aiders.
“Mental health is 24/7, we need to be on call 24/7. We never know when someone might need help. This week specifically we targeted kindness," she said.
During the week, the mental health first aiders gave a five-minute presentation about engaging in the act of kindness towards each other, such as asking someone who's sitting alone to play with them. The first aiders also have a buddy system under which they spend one-to-one time with students in need.
“The smallest thing can make a very big impact on a pupil. So it's important that we focus on the little things as well as the bigger picture," she added.
SOURCE: The National News