TWO Belfast primary schools have celebrated the completion of an animation about children’s mental health and wellbeing.
The animation, called ‘Our wee thoughts and feelings’, was created by pupils from Elmgrove PS and Christ the Redeemer PS, who took part in a shared learning and cross-community exchange through OUR Generation; an EU PEACE IV-funded project led by Action Mental Health, which has been match funded by The Executive Office. The project aims to build positive relations and emotional resilience in children and young people.
At the launch, they were joined by Chief Executive of Action Mental Health, David Babington, as well as members of the Urban Villages Initiative; the local co-ordinator for Colin, Philip Magee, and Kathy Anjorin from the Eastside.
Throughout the last school year, pupils completed ‘Better Together’ – a programme where P6 and P7s learn about friendship, empathy and breathing techniques for dealing with feelings and emotions.
For the animation workshops, the children visited each other’s schools located in separate Urban Village areas of Belfast. Elmgrove is in East Side (East Belfast), and Christ the Redeemer PS is in Colin in the west of the city.
They explored creative ways to show case their learning alongside professional animator Joel Simon from Hola Lola Animations – whose animated films and programs have been shown internationally, for clients such as Channel 4, Comic Relief UK, Discovery Channel and the BBC.
Speaking at the launch event at Christ the Redeemer Primary School, David Babington thanked both schools for taking part in the “shared learning exchange” and told pupils it would be something they could “look back on proudly in years to come".
Joel Simon – Hola Lola Animations, Philip Magee – Local UV Co-ordinator: Colin area, David Babington – Chief Executive, Action Mental Health, Kathy Anjorin - Eastside Local Support Officer, with pupils: Abbie McGauley, aged 10, Fionn McCarty, aged 10, Archie Young, aged 10, Aimee Crawford, aged 10
He said: “OUR Generation will continue to use this animation when delivering our programmes to other children and young people – helping them grow up better together.”
Jane McConville, ICT Co-ordinator at Elmgrove, explained that through Better Together, children were given time to talk about the sorts of things that made them feel worried.
She said: “They have been working on their designs based off what they have learned on the programme about managing their own mental health and strategies for dealing with stress.
“It was the first time in a number of years the children had been able to get together with another school, so it’s been really good for them having to think creatively, being able to talk about feelings and ways of dealing with feelings.”
Nicola McKeown, Acting Vice Principal of Christ the Redeemer Primary School said the school was “delighted” to have taken part in OUR Generation, with 12 pupils recently completing Better Together.
Worried
“The actual programme itself, the delivery we had was fantastic – it is very clear that the facilitators are passionate about what they’re doing, and this comes through in their practice. The amount of strategies that we have been left with as a school are second to none. It’s an absolute privilege to walk down the corridor and see our little ones using their hands to do their rollercoaster breathing or their cup-cake breathing.
She added: “This is what society needs right now and I can honestly say as a school, working alongside Action Mental Health, we are delivering that.”
