32 Welsh Primary Schools Begin Mental Wellbeing Challenge

Ahead Of Anti-Bullying Week

• 32 Welsh schools start I Can’t to I Can mental wellbeing challenge on 8th November to build self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem mental ahead of Anti-Bullying Week

• The 5-day Challenge was created as a response to anxiety pandemic amongst young people during these uncertain times

• Half of all mental health conditions present themselves by the time a child reaches 14 but most cases remain undetected and untreated

• I Can’t to I Can provides teachers with resources to teach simple brain hacks that can last a lifetime and turn around a child’s negative thinking within a week

The ongoing pandemic, concerns about climate change along with the endless horrific news headlines are enough for any young person to deal with. Add into the mix the normal issues of growing up magnified through the lens of social media and it’s no wonder that young people are 50% more likely to have a mental health problem than they were three years ago.

As of 8th November, 32 schools in Wales will be taking part in the RTT 5-Day ‘I Can’t to I Can’ mental wellbeing challenge. The aim is to provide children aged 7 – 10 with a series of mind hacks to help build confidence, self-esteem and resilience.  This will give them the mental stamina to cope with these challenging times and skills to support them throughout their life if they learn to practice them daily.

Available online, the free resource is based around the RTT concept of the inner cheerleader. Everyone is born with an inner cheerleader as without that driving force encouraging us, babies would give up after taking their first, unsuccessful attempt at anything. Sadly, the inner critic can kick in as young as 5 which is why the skills taught in ‘I Can’t to I Can’ are so key and it takes just a week to instil positive new approaches in children aged 7 to 10.

Commenting on the challenge, Dr Sian Peer, therapist and Director of the RTT School said:

‘As a parent myself, I know how crippling anxiety can be for a young child. We wanted to share some of the incredible mental wellbeing tools that are the cornerstones of RTT to help primary school children understand and manage their emotions. The 5 Day Challenge provides teachers with a daily lesson plan over a week, each building on the learning from the previous day. There are videos, fun exercises and ideas to do at home making the whole experience interactive and memorable.’

Although most schools will participate in the challenge during the week of 8th November, the resources are going to be accessible to schools on an ongoing basis.

Schools interested can visit www.rtt.com/method