VIEWS & OPINION
Thinking of others makes children happier and more successful Comment by FLEUR SEXTON, joint managing director, PET-Xi
I came across an old Chinese proverb recently which set me thinking: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” This made me realise that the idea of helping others to help yourself is actually hundreds of years old, and not so very far away from the modern concept of ‘outrospection’ gaining ground now, and which has been central to our work for many years. Outrospection is a method by which you get to know yourself by developing relationships and empathetic thinking with others. It’s a powerful approach that we use with the many thousands of young people we work with throughout the UK because we know that it works. Our traineeship and apprenticeship programmes frequently involve helping others, and by doing so our trainees gain valuable skills which help to build their confidence. For example in Sheffield and Coventry our trainees have supported charities by taking part in sponsored walks and helping the homeless.
But as well as equipping themselves with confidence and skills and making contacts, our trainees have the pleasure of making a positive difference in their community. It’s really inspirational to see.
The other big benefit is that by getting involved in as many activities as possible outside of work and school, young people can come to understand themselves better and to understand where their true passions lie. What would you do in life if you didn’t have to worry about money? That’s the question I’ve asked the many thousands of young people we work with at
PET-Xi because tapping into someone’s passion is key to getting them on the road to success.
I know I’m in the right place working with children and young people because I would do it for nothing. I am lucky in having a genuine interest in an area where there are lots of opportunities to make a contribution. Life isn’t all about earning money – we all need to try and make the world a better place. Being happy at work and at school is key to good mental health. Yet survey after survey shows that children in the UK are at the bottom of the happiness tables and struggling with their mental health.
I really believe that getting young people involved with volunteering in their communities is a ‘win win’ situation. It helps individuals to improve their happiness and mental health just as much as it helps the charities and projects which they support.
The summer holidays will soon be upon us – this is a perfect time to suggest to young people that they find something that interests them and get involved with it.
Everyone needs a sense of purpose and what better purpose than improving the local community? As teachers and parents we must encourage the children in our care to get more involved in real life by just jumping in to find out what their passions are. There’s no better way of discovering your purpose in life.
To end as I began with some ancient wisdom, here’s a quote from Aristotle; “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation.”
Supporting parental mental health Comment by NICOLA MUTALE, parent support practitioner
Mental health has become an increasingly important topic of debate, especially in terms of building awareness amongst students and schools to help them identify and understand it better. However, while it is of course vital to make children aware from a young age, it is just as important to provide support to parents too; last year, the Royal College of Psychiatrists reported that approximately 68 per cent of women and 57 per cent of men with mental health problems are parents. It is estimated by The Mental Health Foundation that between 50-66 per cent of parents with a severe and enduring mental illness live with one or more children under 18, equating to roughly 17,000 children and young people in the UK. This could have a significant impact on these children, therefore it’s vital for parents to be given the right support and guidance on mental health.
Many parents experience stressful periods where they can feel under pressure for any number of reasons. For those with mental health problems, these pressures are magnified, which can have a knock on effect when it comes to their children.
With the right support, however, parents needn’t feel alone; there are plenty of resources, helplines and support networks available to them. One example of this is a school that I work with in London. Langdon Park School has hosted a number of parent workshops centred on stress management, mental health and wellbeing. The workshops, some of which were run by Compass Wellbeing, guide parents through the skills needed in order to help them manage a number of challenges including stress, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem and confidence. The school realised that as well as supporting its students, parents should also be a top priority, and as such, organised its parental mental
June 2017
health workshops to explore the symptoms of anxiety and depression and how to identify them, and the different support services available out there.
The workshops have been attended by both parents and members of the community in and around the Poplar area and as a result, a significant number of parents made self-referrals to receive counselling support which highlights just how important and relevant workshops like this are. While attending workshops suits some people, the more formal nature and structured format doesn’t always appeal to everyone. It’s important to also be able to provide a safe and secure environment where people feel comfortable and confident to confide in peers; whether that’s one- on-one, or in a group. For example, after the workshop had finished, I found that the conversation about mental health didn’t. The non- judgemental and consistent relationship I developed with parents at our school coffee mornings meant that the conversations continued. The combination of information sharing at workshops and having an established network of ongoing support meant that parents continued to access professional services to help manage their mental health. It is these kind of support networks that can really make the difference between what can sometimes be life or death moments.
Organising workshops and raising awareness of parental mental health, not only explores important issues that affect people in every community, but also provides them with the right guidance and advice to support them in whatever way they need.
For more information on the workshops that Langdon Park runs, visit
www.langdonparkschool.co.uk, or email Nicky Mutale
nicola.mutale@
towerhamlets.gov.uk
www.education-today.co.uk 17
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