They are all amazing elite sport performers and all have taken a break from elite sport this summer to prioritise their mental health.
These three champions are some of the toughest competitors around and have overcome huge challenges in their personal and professional lives. If they can suffer from mental health issues than it is clear that everyone can suffer too at some point in their lives depending on their situation and circumstances.
So what can schools leaders' do to reduce the chances of their pupils suffering from anxiety, depression in the future to enable them to thrive academically and personally instead?
Here at Future Action, we work with a growing number of forward thinking schools to implement our ‘9 step building mental fitness road map’ that gives inspirational PE leaders a proven method to transform student and staff wellbeing across the whole school.
In Stage 1: we develop Awareness of what building mental fitness is and how we can identify those students who are struggling with their mental health but sneaking under the radar to create a proactive culture around student wellbeing.
Stage 1 - Steps:
1 - Intro to mental fitness - 🧘♀️
2 - Identification - 👁
3 - Self-awareness -🎗
In Stage 2: we equip students & staff with a range of self care strategies to build confidence & kindness, use worries as a positive, raise aspirations, develop healthy habits and how to access the happiness chemicals.
Stage 2 - Steps:
4 - Confidence and Kindness - 💪
5 - Worries As A Positive - 🧠
6 - Habits 🗓
7 - Happiness 😃
In Stage 3: we show staff how to embed the programme across the whole school community in 7 different ways to have maximum impact.
Stage 3 - Steps:
8 - Whole School Impact - 🏫
9 - Next Steps
The results have been quite staggering with happier young people and staff, calmer behaviour across our schools, increases in progress and attainment and attracting new pupils to our schools because of the priority they give to student wellbeing.
Paul Collin, Headteacher at City Academy Norwich, said ‘It’s crucial, now more than ever to consider how schools and colleges are developing both the academic and the wellbeing of every young person.
At City Academy Norwich we place a core emphasis on every child having the same opportunity in life. Being mentally fit, happy, energised and productive are key attributes that everyone can benefit from having.
Our work with Future Action and the Building Mental Fitness programme has allowed us to ensure we consider a proactive approach to these areas, working with all our young people to become the very best versions of themselves and achieve future successes.'
Here at Future Action, we have partnered with over 20 schools across the world in a range of settings from Primary to Secondary, International Schools to Special Schools to embed these transformational strategies and enable PE leaders to have a whole school impact.
If you would like to join this movement of inspirational schools but are not sure where to start, then the Building Mental Fitness course teaches you and your staff how to set up an outstanding program with easy to follow videos and editable resources to save you hours of time planning and creating resources.
Click on the links below to find out more:
And get in touch for a friendly conversation about how we can support you achieve your goals!