Posted on 8th Feb
Shawmind, a local mental health charity, is hosting a Children’s Mental Health Festival at the YMCA Newark and Sherwood today (Wednesday).
More than 200 local school children and teachers from five schools have booked their places for the “Express it, don’t suppress it!” festival, which aims to help children better understand their feelings and learn to express themselves.
1 in 6 children aged 5 to 16 are struggling with a mental health problem. However, mental health is still a largely stigmatised and misunderstood aspect of our society. Without proper education and mental health awareness, the issue cannot be improved.
Shawmind is an early intervention charity, working towards educating young minds and young adults alike on mental health and emotional wellbeing, and how to manage them effectively.
The “Express it, don’t suppress it!” Festival will run from 10am until 12noon for primary school children and from 1pm until 3pm for secondary school children, and will be supervised by their teachers in the safe and beautiful confines of the new YMCA Newark & Sherwood centre and the Active 4 Today Leisure Centre next door. It will feature guest speakers, artistes and coaches in activities, including the spoken word, art, and dance.
Peter Wingrove, chief executive of Shawmind said: “We are very pleased to see the fantastic uptake for the festival, which was booked out within three days. Clearly, local schools and teachers are acutely aware of the importance of children’s mental health and are looking for interesting ways in which to teach children about mental health. We are working with more than 10 local schools now and welcome all schools to get in touch with us regarding our Headucation programme.”
