Top Up Together - Mental Health Awareness Week

We celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week a little earlier than the rest of the country. The theme is "Top Up Together". Having a school environment that is conducive to positive mental health is extremely important to us. Our Safe School Leaders share about the week in their own words:

Samantha Dai (Year 12)

Being a safe school means creating an environment where students can feel safe and comfortable enough to make special memories, have many experiences and to enjoy and make the most of their time at Avondale College. Safe school leaders take on many responsibilities such as Pink Shirt Day, Mental Health Awareness Week, supporting the guidance office and helping out international students. We want to support students that might have difficulty or are struggling to feel at home in their school as we know how difficult it is to feel a sense of belonging and we hope that everyone can find it at their time at Avondale College.

Ameya Patel (Year 13)

It's important to acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Week to avoid students from losing themselves in the process – especially during this time of year when exam stress starts to unfold. It’s easy to fall into the cycle of burnout or procrastination, which is why taking the time to restart, reflect, and reach out to others is vital. By prioritising our whare tapa whā, we strengthen our relationship with ourselves, and use past experiences as learning opportunities that guide us to the path on becoming our best selves.

Fatima Iftikhar (Year 12)

Our 'Connect' stall was to encourage building positive relationships to combat loneliness and boost emotional resilience. The 'Give' stall promoted acts of kindness and helping others, fostering purpose, a better mood, and stronger social bonds. 'Be Active' highlights physical activity to reduce stress, improve sleep, and enhance wellbeing and the 'Take Notice' stall emphasized mindfulness, helping to increase gratitude and mental clarity. Lastly, our 'Keep Learning' stall was to teach everyone what the different feelings are and how they can cope with them. Together, these actions offer practical ways to support mental health and resilience.