Mitchell Woods, Westwood students learn about stigma and resiliency during mental wellness day
June 13, 2016
GUELPH, Ontario – Grade 7 and 8 students from Mitchell Woods and Westwood Public Schools learning about mental health, reducing stigma and overcoming obstacles.
Monday was a day-long mental wellness day at Mitchell Woods, where 100 intermediate students from the school were joined by 100 intermediate students from Westwood for a day of healthy workshops.
The learning goals for the day were for students to learn how to express themselves in a positive way, learn the importance of physical activity in boosting one’s mood and learning how to cope when faced with obstacles.
Keynote speaker Clay Williams kicked off the day’s activities.
Williams has been personally touched by mental illness. Two of his brothers died by suicide. His daughter, wife and eldest sister struggle with depression. One of the reasons he believes his brothers are no longer alive, but his other family members are is that they have been more willing to reach out and speak to someone about their struggles. He’s convinced that if his brothers were more willing to reach out – rather than suffer in silence – they would still be here today.
Last year, Williams decided to raise awareness and funds for mood disorders. He set out to run 750 km from Port Severn to Ottawa. He ran day and night, taking only two-hour sleep breaks, along the Trent Severn and Rideau Canals. He is continuing his Canal Pursuit campaign again this September, running the same path he took last year to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental illness.
On Monday, he spoke to grade 7/8 students about mental health, stigma, mental illness, how to recognize signs and symptoms of different mental illnesses in yourself and others, and what you can do to help someone in need.
Williams brought with him the Canada flag that he carries on every long race. On it are the names of individuals touched by mental illness. He told students that he carried it with him to keep them in his thoughts as he ran, and invited students to sign the flag for someone in their lives.
Following the keynote, students broke into groups for workshops. All of the workshops were led by members of the school community, and they fell into three categories: healthy inspiration, healthy mindset and healthy expression.
Workshops included: Beautiful Minds, where students learned about mental illness, risk factors and coping strategies; Power Word Collage, where students created a piece of art to keep for themselves or give to a loved one; hip hop, soccer and basketball workshops; and Relaxation Station, where students learned about relaxation and mindfulness.
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For more information:
Heather Loney, Communications and Community Engagement Officer
Upper Grand District School Board
519-822-4420 ext.725
[email protected]
Categories: News