Nations’ community learns more about appreciating and valuing life with lectures and awareness-raising activities
September is suicide awareness month, better known as Yellow September. Throughout the month, the School promoted important activities aimed at students, families, and staff to raise awareness. From posters in the hallways to lectures on valuing life, our goal was to raise awareness throughout our community of the importance of acts of kindness and compassion in promoting mental health.
Working with our social-emotional curriculum, the Guidance Counseling team prepared activities for students on both campuses, following guidelines from professional educators, psychologists, and international health agencies.
According to High School Counselor Márcia Guedes, the issues behind Yellow September have always been important but are often set aside. For her, it is essential to ensure that students balance the social-emotional aspects of their lives because doing so positively impacts students’ overall well-being and academic performance.
“It’s important to look around us. After the pandemic and the lengthy period of isolation everyone experienced, we see the consequences, especially in young people. Social-emotional challenges can lead to acts that put well-being at risk, so we need to share knowledge and open up space to talk about these issues.”
Early Childhood and Elementary
For Early Childhood and Elementary students, teachers and counselors promoted classroom activities highlighting the importance of the three golden rules and how they inspire gratitude, respect, and caring for oneself and others.
Middle and High School
The School organized grade-level workshops for students in Middle and High School during the week of September 12-15. Students met with Eduardo Torres, a Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Prevention Solutions professional, about the prevention of licit and illicit drug use and responsible decision-making.
Families and Employees
For families and employees, the School offered lectures on appreciating life. In these lectures, community members talked about and received guidance on topics related to mental health care.
On September 14, professional Eduardo Torres offered a lecture on “Valuing Life: Preventing Drug Use.” In addition, on September 29, psychologist Hilana Paz Trindade, a member of the Bahá’í community who has worked at the School as a Kindergarten teacher, offered an online educational lecture about care and tips to deal with aspects related to the preservation of the mind and emotions of children and young people.
Yellow September brought the community valuable information on how to take care of our own and others’ mental health.
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