“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
— Albus Dumbledore
In the month of October 2022, Ramagya School made a conscious effort in destigmatizing mental health. The school launched its very own mental health campaign Let’s Talk: #KnowYourBrain.
October began with the kick start of the mental health club of Ramagya run by class 11th and 12th students of the school.
A green ribbon initiative was taken up by the school’s Training and Counseling Cell, where all the faculties wore the green bow as a sign that they support mental health and believe in #breaking the stigma.
Ramagya believes in the importance of speaking up about mental health and prioritizes it as an equivalent to physical health. World Health Organization conceptualizes Mental Health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in.”
Mental Health is as important as physical health, and in order to raise a more informed and sensitive youth, as they are the future leaders of India, Ramagya caters to the emotional needs of all the students present in the school.
Students hosted mental health assemblies for the school, where they sensitized the audience on commonly experienced mental health concerns such as bullying, body shaming and substance engagement among students. Nukkad Natak was also done to depict how the voices of the youngsters often go unheard due to the stigma around mental health, and how it is a top priority right now to make all the voices feel heard.
It has been surveyed that one in six children and teenagers aged between 10-19 years of age suffer from depression, and as we speak there is one suicide attempt every three seconds and one death by suicide every forty seconds by our youth. It is a high time to take action and fight the battle against the stigma around mental health.
The school is also addressing workshops on mental health for the teaching and non-teaching faculties, as well as sensitizing and educating the parents of children with special needs.
The efforts taken by the school for the mental health of both students and its employees is commendable. The school has a team of eight counseling psychologists and special educators who are all working for the mental health and emotional well-being of the students, marking it as one of the only few schools in India taking this initiative.
After all, an emotionally well youth can build a nation that prioritizes something so core and foundational to us – our well-being.