4 minute read
Wellbeing: Focusing inward, Focusing outward
Photos taken by Nicole Roache, Marketing Manager, on a morning walk during the College’s ‘One Foot Forward’ challenge.
JOAN GILL, DIRECTOR OF STUDENT WELLBEING PROGRAMS
The two fundamentals of strong mental health are personal autonomy and social connection.
Personal autonomy is best summed up as our individual capacity to attend to, and build up, our own sense of wellbeing. Of course teachers, counsellors, parents, friends, family and peers all play a role in nurturing positive mental health in our young people.
Giving back to our community
Despite lockdowns, or indeed because of the lockdowns, Senior School students were keen to demonstrate that sense of concern for others through efforts to support those considered less privileged.
Mrs Deb Hynes, Head of Morrison House writes:
Chase Probert and Reuben High (Morrison House captains) were discussing with me the challenges of lockdown late one Friday afternoon. We then started chatting about how fortunate we were with the support of school, our safe homes we live in and our ability to access resources and services. We then thought we should encourage the House to be grateful for the small things and to put $1 aside each week for five weeks and to donate to Headspace Geelong, an organisation that supports youth mental health. We raised $2200.
Similarly, The Geelong College community signed up for One Foot Forward to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute to help fund their research into mental health. The goal of raising $5000 was reached even before the month had started. The final amount raised exceeded $8800.
The College Chaplains launched the annual Uniting Care hampers, asking all students across the three campuses to donate grocery items to be distributed to those in need as Christmas approaches. Giving money and grocery items are relatively small gestures,
but research suggests that acts of giving whether they be small or large – are associated with positive mental wellbeing. Giving our time is arguably more intentional, and as we open up we will be able to further explore our Service Learning opportunities. Working with others in our College community and beyond reflects the intrinsic value of a shared goal to promote our own personal wellbeing, as well as our sense of collective wellbeing.
During remote learning the Year 7 and 8 students were asked to participate in activities requiring them to work on their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Paul Jubber writes:
We asked the students to show gratitude and record three things they were grateful for. Each student needed to demonstrate gratitude for their physical health, their mental wellbeing and their social connection with family and friends. Encouraging students to shift their perspective a little and express gratitude is a key factor in building resilience. Another reflective activity was to write down a social connection goal; again shifting perspective a little to think about the wellbeing of those around them. So as well as students asking ‘Am I ok?’, also asking ‘Are we ok?’ Implied in the question is a shared responsibility towards building positive relationships. This is at the heart of the Respectful Relationships initiative taught across Junior and Middle Schools.
Looking more broadly, having a collective sense of wellbeing asks us to look at the “health” of the various groups to which our students belong at school be they classes, sporting teams, music and drama ensembles, House and Mentor groups; all the social contexts we as teachers create for our students to feel confident to participate and engage productively. Broader still, we can look at community engagement and the unwritten social contract of shared communal responsibility for the wellbeing of others. Unfortunately, the pandemic severely restricted opportunities for face to face engagement in what we call Service Learning but we will welcome the return of such opportunities as our society opens up again.
TERM 3 – HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
YEAR 7 AND 8 REMOTE LEARNING
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES RESOURCES FOR YOU:
• Minimum of moderate to vigorous 60 mins Physical Activity per day • Try to do activities that strengthen muscle and bone if 3 times per week • Limit screen time to 2 hours per day • Aim for 9
– 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night with consistent wake up times
MORE INFORMATION: www.health.giv.au/health-topics/exercise-and-physical-activity
YOGA:
• YouTube
• – search ‘yoga for teens’ Mind+Body – Yoga for Beginners (free app)
MIND:
• • • Smiling Mind (free app) YouTube – search ‘mindfulness for teens’ Headspace (free app)
• • PILATES: YouTube – search ‘pilates for beginners’ Pilates Anytime (free app)
• • • NUTRITION: • Website – www.healthfully.com/importance-of-healthy-eating-for-teens-7148676.html • Did you know there are 10 teaspoons of sugar in one 375ml of coca-cola?! WORKOUTS: YouTube – search ‘no equipment cardio workout’ Swork It (free app) Nike Training Club (free
Week 7
Your PHYSICAL goal for the week… Your MENTAL/WELLBEING goal for the week… 2
Your SOCIAL/CONNECTION goal for the week...
DAY
COMPLETED MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
TYPE OF ACTIVITY
DURATION OF ACTIVITY
What is one thing that relates to PHYSICAL health that you are grateful for? What is one thing that relates to MENTAL/WELLBEING that you are grateful for? What is one thing that relates to SOCIAL/CONNECTION that you are grateful for?
Your PHYSICAL goal for the week…
Week 8
Your MENTAL/WELLBEING goal for the week… Parent Signature:
Your SOCIAL/CONNECTION goal for the week...
DAY COMPLETED MONDAY
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
TYPE OF ACTIVITY
DURATION OF ACTIVITY
What is one thing that relates to PHYSICAL health that you are grateful for? What is one thing that relates to MENTAL/WELLBEING that you are grateful for? What is one thing that relates to SOCIAL/CONNECTION that you are grateful for?
