Year 9 Wellbeing Week

Welcome to Year 9 Wellbeing Week! Here’s what’s happening…

Monday 14th February

During form time, Year 9 students will hear from the team at www.kooth.com, an online mental wellbeing community providing free, safe and anonymous support. At lunchtime, a representative from Kooth will be have pop-up stand in the theatre. Free fruit will be available for all year 9 students to encourage healthy eating which is an important part of our overall wellbeing.

Tuesday 15th February

During form time, students will have a virtual session with wirralmind.org.uk on a programme they run called ‘Beating the Blues’.

At lunchtime, mindfulness colouring will be available in the theatre. The Anna Freud Centre, a Mental Health charity, outlines how colouring can help with wellbeing:

“Many people find that spending time on artistic activities, such as drawing and painting, can be soothing. Repeatedly moving a pencil or paint over paper can itself be a calming act, and sometimes being creative is an opportunity to express difficult thoughts and emotions that can’t otherwise be put into words, gaining more insights on what you’ve been through or are going through.

Some have said that art helps them to focus on the present moment, helping them focus on how they’re feeling and experience connections between their emotions and body. While this can be overwhelming, it is a step towards better self-awareness and may help with knowing what solutions or actions to take.”

Search online for free colouring pages to get started. You can also find free art classes nationwide through the National Saturday Club website.

Wednesday 16th February

Wirral Youth Zone ‘The Hive’ will deliver a virtual assembly to talk about the services they offer to young people aged 8 – 19, and up to 25 for those with disabilities.

About The Hive:

• The Youth Zone provides its members with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.
• It houses fantastic facilities, including a climbing wall, boxing gym, music suite, salon, art room, rooftop football pitch and sensory room.
• There are qualified youth workers to support young people across a range of issues, from mental health and healthy relationship workshops to help finding work and gaining experience.
• The opportunities for young people increase when they become a member of The Hive, from sailing on Tall Ships, to performing at The Royal Albert Hall, to work experience with our partner organisations to gaining a climbing qualification – the possibilities are endless!

Representatives from The Hive will host a pop-up stall in the theatre on Thursday lunchtime and will be able to help with membership queries and the activities offered by The Hive.

The Brook will be online to talk about Healthy Relationships. Students will have a virtual session in the morning to discuss the importance of healthy relationships and all round wellbeing. Students will learn about the signs of an unhealthy relationship and where they can seek further support.

At lunchtime, there will be board games in the theatre. The Anna Freud Centre, a Mental Health charity, suggests board games as a useful method of self-care:

“It can sometimes feel overwhelming or intense to spend extended periods of time with friends or family when talking is the main activity. Suggesting a board game can be a good plan when you’d like a shared activity to focus on, which relieves some of the pressure to make conversation, and also gives you new things to laugh and talk about. It can also stimulate the parts of your brain responsible for problem-solving, strategising and making logical decisions, which could put you in a good mindset to tackle other things that are going on. Ultimately, the purpose of playing board games is to relax and have fun, so find one that you enjoy.”

There are sometimes board game groups available to join, where you can play with other interested people and learn new games without having to buy the whole set.

Thursday 17th February

Motivational speaker Dave Bolton will deliver today’s assembly. Dave Bolton served in Air Ops Iraq, survived being crushed by an articulated lorry and went on to become a World Champion, a high-flying Detective Sergeant tackling serious and organised crime and has beaten cancer twice! Dave continues to defy all the odds outliving his current terminal diagnosis.

Dave is an inspiration to us all on how we can respond to the difficulties in life with a positive mindset.

Representatives from The Hive will be in school at lunchtime and there will be cakes.

Friday 18th February

Students will create a ‘self care plan’ using the different self-care techniques they have looked at this week. The Hive will be back in school at lunchtime and there will be music in the theatre, with a mood boosting playlist of songs nominated by Year 9 students earlier in the week.

The Anna Freud Centre recognises the importance of music in self-care:

“A lot of young people we spoke to said listening to music helped them manage their feelings in several different ways. Listening to music you know you enjoy to help improve your mood; listening to music really loudly to release built up tension/anger; listening to music similar to the emotion you’re feeling to release pent up emotions; listening to music that is the opposite to what your feeling e.g. calming music when you are feeling anxious to help soothe yourself.”

And finally, before school closes for half term, Year 9 will be off timetable to listen to the inspirational story of Paralympian Pete Dunning.

Peter Dunning served in the Royal Marines until he was medically discharged in 2010. After being injured in Afghan, the 33-year-old took up skiing and was on the British disabled ski team. Sadly, after enduring two injuries on his left shoulder Peter had to retire: “Finding myself at home for a number of years and not using the time to do much with my life, my marriage and relationship with my children started to decline. Due to reconstructive surgery on my stump I was left wheelchair bound for seven months last year and it really put a strain on my marriage due to the impact it had on my mental health.” After being encouraged by his partner to seek help, Peter finally reached out and his life began to change: “I started to get the ball rolling for things to ‘pick me up’; I enrolled at my local college and I started playing wheelchair rugby. Finding the sport and taking part in it has helped me put that fire back in my belly again which I used to have many years ago.

At the end of the school day, students will  receive a wellbeing pack to help them engage in self-care over half term and The Hive will be back in school to chat to students.