MENTAL WELLBEING WEEK

The daily life of an adolescent male is complex; a delicate balance of schoolwork, hobbies and social interactions, all whilst the world rapidly evolves around them. Pandemics, natural disasters and social media pressure have become the norm for adolescents in these times, and with this, an undeniable rise in mental illness.

In studies conducted by the Black Dog Institute and the Queensland Government, one in five Australians experience a mental illness in their lifetime, with suicide being the second leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24. Despite men being at the greatest risk of suicide, they are least likely to seek help due to the stigma attached to it, with 62.9 per cent worried about what other people might think.

In 2022, it was time to draw a line in the sand and, as a College collective, do more for our boys to provide support and a safe space to talk about their mental wellbeing. Mental Wellbeing Week was developed to empower each other to talk about our feelings, to wear our hearts on our sleeves and support each other to do the same. We needed to start conversations about our mental wellbeing and show each other that it is ok to talk about our feelings. Our goal was to facilitate a week during the school year, which encourages students to wear their hearts on their sleeves, both physically and mentally, by talking about their struggles (big or small), learning how to express their feelings, as well as understand where their mental wellbeing sits on the ‘Mental Health Spectrum’.

Mental Wellbeing Week launched in Week 1 of Term 3. The Seniors wrapped the tree in Edmund Rice Mall with blue decorations, prompting conversations amongst the students and staff. Year 12 student Akot Akot spoke at Assembly and we launched a video encouraging the boys to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

I commend Year 12 students Akot Akot, Darcy Turner, Harry Roati, Andrew Tora, Angus Williams and Liam Le Blanc, for being brave enough to set an example and speak out about their struggles in a video that was played at Assembly and on social media. These Year 12 students became the leading force among other students having conversations in PC and writing messages of support and notes on their personal struggles on paper hearts, which were then hung in the Spirit Tunnel for all to read, showing that it is ok to talk about their feelings. These messages of support included:

Thank you to Dean of Students Mr Anthony Connellan and Director of Students Mr Sean Toovey for bringing this to fruition, and College Psychologist Ms Bianca Burbury and her team for not only supporting this initiative and providing us with the educational framework to execute with the most effective impact, but also for her endless support for the boys. I look forward to the College continuing to support this initiative in future years and seeing its longlasting impacts.

BY DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS MS HANNAH KILBURN