If you have been keeping up with the news this week, you may be aware that this week has been Children’s Mental Health Week, the theme of which was ‘Find Your Brave’.  We started the week with a whole college assembly where we discussed what ‘finding your brave’ actually meant..

Here’s a report from our Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead, Mrs Wright..

We learnt that being brave comes in all shapes and sizes and bravery is something we will need throughout our lives and that being brave is good for our mental health.

As well as trying something new and going outside our comfort zones to be brave, an important way to show our bravery is to share our worries and to ask for and accept help. Sometimes having a lot of worries can stop us getting on with everyday activities.

On Wednesday we held a ‘Worry Workshop’. We looked at some apps on our iPads that could help us when we are worried. We also worked through a ‘Worry Jar’ and ‘Worry Tree’ worksheet. We found out that sometimes you can’t actually do anything about a worry straight away. To be ready for this, we tried some distraction strategies – we did the 54321-grounding exercise, some ‘Yoga’ and some ‘mood changing’ activities. It was great to see how these made everyone smile and forget what they had been thinking about.

All the students who took part in the workshop were amazing and we had some really good feedback from them about how they want to let staff know when they are worried. We also had a group who found their brave by taking part in Mr Newport’s ‘Bush Tucker Trial’. Students put their hand into a box they couldn’t see into and had to touch what was inside – there were lots of screams as people touched squishy and strange textures..

The students also enjoyed a story called ‘Brave’ by Stacy McAnulty and talked about how they had found their brave. The IB and E-Base students enjoyed a find your brave treasure hunt, finding pictures of super heroes and emergency service personnel around college.

Here’s a report from our on the ground treasure hunt host, Mr Blackman..

Here we go on the SUPER HERO TREASURE HUNT! We gave our students from E-Base and IB a treasure map and a clue to set them on their way on a hunt to find the super hero pictures and clues to the location of the heroes’ gold, hidden somewhere in the Learning Centre.

The groups of intrepid investigators studied the map and on finding the super hero pictures located inside and outside of the Learning Centre, they had to solve the clues read out to them, each one linking to the next one. We had Batman, Spiderman, Supergirl, Superman, Wonder Woman and then some real heroes, fire fighters, ambulance crews and, last but not least, police officers..

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Oh, did I mention the treasure – ‘Golden Chocolate Coins’ – yum yum..

Just a question Mr Blackman… what about ‘Dangermouse’!?

On Thursday we held a ‘Worry Café’. The Employability Group were fantastic hosts, serving drinks and biscuits to the students. They also supported students in writing out a worry starting ‘I wish somebody knew……’

They were then shown where the ‘Worry Box’ is to put them in..

We finished the week by asking the students to think about how they had found their brave.

A huge well done to everyone who took part and helped to ensure that the wellbeing of both themselves and others is a key feature of our Learning Centre life.

Have a great weekend,

Dawn

Click here for this week’s news from Graham

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