Addressing mental health
Hope Unlimited supports School Happiness Intervention Program (SHIP)
Yuvathi is an NGO based in Chennai. Yuvathi strives to create a future for women, irrespective of any role and their vision is that women grow to be self-reliant, emotionally independent and become the driving force for social change. One of the new activities of Yuvathi is the School Happiness Intervention Program (SHIP).
This programme aims to assist in bringing into balance different domains of our lives – physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual. This programme spans for 10 months where school-going children in Grades 6-10 will learn how to integrate the mind and body to deepen body-mind awareness, helping to move forward with energy and aliveness, two cornerstones to a sense of well-being in life.
Hope Unlimited believes that when a child grows up healthy and with access to good, quality education, he/she grows up to be a well-rounded individual, contributing to a healthy society. We believe that the future offers hope when our children are healthy, educated and grow up empathetic while believing in a diverse and inclusive society. This is why Hope Unlimited decided to financially support SHIP for the first three months of the programme.
Why?
Today, children are under tremendous pressure from all sides - parents, mentors, peers, teachers, grandparents, etc. They are confused, they don't know how to react and express their emotions in their day-to-day situations. They want to be content, they want to feel happy but they don't know how.
‘Student Wellness’ refers to a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. It involves living life in choice with self-motivated action. Having good relationship with teachers, friends and school community plays a significant role in a child’s engagement as a student in the school campus. When any of these are missing, children become disengaged and the element of happiness remains ever elusive.
The pilot
The pilot of SHIP takes place for approximately 120 students from the Nungambakkam Governmental School and the Shenoy Nagar Governmental School. Classes are optional and after school for 1 hour per week. Monitoring and assessment of the benefits of SHIP takes place over the span of 10 months. Based on the outcomes, SHIP can be extended to other schools.
(May 2023)
Expected outcomes:
- This project provides the essential infrastructure for a school thereby ensuring overall performance and personal growth in life of students. Have a better understanding of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and stress.
- Faculty will be able to identify the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems
- Faculty will be able to explain how facing the challenges can impact their mental health
- Faculty will learn useful tips to support students experiencing mental health problems
- Faculty will have gained knowledge on communicating effectively with students who need assistance and support.
Inauguration
Start of SHIP
On 2 August, Yuvathi inaugurated the SHIP project. Ms. Devi Anbanandan, founder of Nirnayam Trust, and Mr. Saravanan, a social worker and activist, graced the occasion with their presence and launched the 'SHIP Happiness Classroom' book.
The event was attended by students of class 6 to 8. They were enthusiastic about the idea of SHIP.
The first session was conducted by one of the facilitators from Yuvathi on the 9th of August and was well received. Yuvathi hopes to take SHIP to many more schools and students in the coming years. Hope Unlimited is happy to have supported the start of this project.
(August 2023)
