Mount View High School is the latest school, joining scores around Australia, to benefit from a mindfulness program that aims to improve the long-term mental health of students.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The free program has been made possible by a three-year charitable partnership between Smiling Mind and Frasers Property Australia.
Mount View High School principal Desley Pfeffer said the school was grateful to have access to the valuable program at no cost.
"Smiling Mind is a national program aimed at bringing the benefits of mindfulness into the school context," she said. "For us, it fits really well with our positive wellbeing program which we have as strategic directive one of our school plan.
"This was an opportunity that enabled all of us to have all of our teacher and non-teacher staff trained in mindfulness and how we will implement it in the school.
"We are really pleased to have been given the chance to offer this to our own school community and we think the valuable techniques will be real benefit to all the students."
Around 960 students will take part in the Smiling Mind program at the school with some of the benefits including improving stress management, enhancing creative and developing emotional intelligence.
Currently, the Year 12 cohort have been practising mindfulness and meditation techniques with the school chaplain.
Year 12 student Callen Sweetman said the strategies had worked wonders for him.
"It really has helped relieve the pressure of the HSC. Smiling Mind is great because you can also do it by yourself at home by downloading the app," he said.
"It's been a really good introduction to mediation. I wasn't a very big believer ... but it definitely has stuck with me now."
The program is expected to be rolled out at the school over the next 12-months.
"We are making real progress reaching into more and more Australian communities and introducing the benefits of mindfulness," Smiling Mind chief executive officer Addie Wootten said
"Working with students in particular is so important to build awareness and resilience around mental health. It doesn't matter what age they start.
"With one in four secondary students and one in seven primary students suffering from a diagnosed mental illness it's vital that we, as a community, do everything we can to take a proactive approach to preventing this health issue into the future."
In 2018, Smiling Mind signed on 23 schools through the partnership. Mount View High School is one of 30 schools expected to benefit this year.
