The One Good School™ Assembly saw over 350 participants from 100 post-primary schools take part in a celebration to mark the half-way point of a two-year mental health and wellbeing programme running in 146 post primary schools in 12 counties across the Republic of Ireland.
On Monday, 17 October 2022, Jigsaw’s Youth Advocates and management team were joined by Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly to officially open its new service in Wicklow.
Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools course is informed by emerging research, national and international policy, and best practice on promotion in schools. It has been developed in collaboration with young people, school leaders, and school staff.
The emotional ask of teachers and school staff has been significant since the start of the global pandemic. School staff have had to navigate their changing environment and support young people in their classrooms to do the same.
There are many reasons why self-care can drop down the list of priorities for school principals.
Multiple roles, busy lives, competing demands can extinguish our best intentions. However, if we want to encourage students and staff to mind their mental health, it is important to act as a role model in minding our own mental health and wellbeing.
Here are five practical ways to begin to consider your own self-care strategies:
School staff often juggle multiple complex tasks and demands. Therefore, a focus on staff mental health and wellbeing has become an increasing priority in the education sector.
Taking care of staff helps them to perform to the best of their ability. It ensures they are better able to support their students.
The global pandemic has created a wave of uncertainty, unknowns and change for all of us. Nowhere is this more evident than in schools.
As a principal or deputy, you have probably had to adapt and respond to the needs of your school community in many different ways.
We know that mental health and wellbeing is central to learning and for the cognitive development of young people. Being resilient, relationships and feeling connected to their school communities matter.
As educators, you play a critical role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students and school staff. But, to care for others it is vital that you and your staff are supporting your own mental health as well.
