Wellbeing - Senior School
GamblingAware Webinar- Wednesday 12 June
A final reminder to members of the College community that the GambleAware webinar is being held this evening from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM. Registration can be achieved via the QR Code provided in recent push notifications and previous editions of the Especean.
Presentation to Year 11 Students
Our Year 11 students were engaged in a seminar last Thursday 7 June by the highly respected youth presenter, Daniel Principe, titled Championing Young People in a Digital World. Daniel covered topics such as male stereotyping, healthy relationships, consent, issues with toxic influencers on social media and pornography, and being an upstander in this challenging environment for young males.
Daniel’s presentation focused on increasing awareness of the impact these topics have on young people, both males and females, and developing a more empathetic and respectful approach when interacting with others.
The examples and stories given in the presentation provoked meaningful discussion among the boys and the feedback from the boys was overwhelmingly positive.
Further to Daniel’s presentation to our Year 11 students on Thursday, he appeared as a guest panelist on Channel 10’s The Sunday Project, discussing the topic: Toxic Masculinity Figures Influencing Teen Boys. The segment can be accessed via the following link.
Men’s Health Week 2024: Empowering Good Health Heroes Australia
Men's Health Week, 10 -16 June, is an international initiative that takes place every June and focuses on all the factors contributing to men’s wellbeing. Key experts in the men’s health space highlight the challenges men face in prioritising their health and how both individuals and healthcare systems can overcome them. Around 40 percent of poor health and premature death among Australian men can be prevented by healthier habits.
Healthy Male and Western Sydney University’s Centre for Male Health have joined forces to launch the Good Health Heroes campaign to educate Australian men on the health issues most likely to affect them and encourage prevention through sustainable lifestyle changes.
“We want to remind men that looking after your health takes a bit of time and effort, but it’s not as hard as you might think and it’s far less difficult than dealing with a health condition,” Healthy Male CEO, Simon von Saldern says. “Start with small changes like a walk around the block each day or adding a new vegetable on your plate each week and work your way up.”
The campaign focuses on six key foundations of good health in men — nutrition, exercise, connection, reducing risk-taking, health literacy and sleep — and champions self-manageable, achievable and sustainable habits to improve their outcomes in each one. The campaign features a range of resources such as infographics, case studies and health practitioner education activities. The campaign is also supported by key experts and organisations.
“It’s more important than ever to come together to highlight the importance of men’s health and the profound and positive impact that improving it can have on our whole community,” says Associate Professor Emma George, Director of the Centre for Male Health.
For more information on Men's Health Week, our Good Health Heroes and how you can get involved, visit www.goodhealthheroes.org.au.
Source: MHW-2024-Good-Health-Heroes-Media-release-Final.pdf (healthymale.org.au), 4/6/2024
Robert Simpson
Director of Senior School
Student-Led Wellbeing Conference
On Thursday, 6 June 2024, Ravenswood School for Girls hosted their Fourth Annual Student-Led Wellbeing Conference. The conference focused on empowering students to take charge of their mental and emotional wellbeing. Through a series of workshops, discussions, and interactive sessions, students across NSW explored practical strategies to enhance resilience, mindfulness, and a growth mindset. The keynote address by author David Bott highlighted the power of student agency in finding ways to thrive in and outside of the classroom. His engaging presentation was accompanied by illustrator Matthew Johnstone, who demonstrated the power that images have in shifting an individual's mindset, specifically addressing young people issues such as identity, body image and worries about the future.
Student leaders played a pivotal role in organising and facilitating the event. Their enthusiasm and dedication were evident in the thoughtful planning and execution of each session. From mindfulness exercises to peer mentoring activities, the conference provided a platform for students to share their experiences and learn from one another. We learnt about the effects of dopamine; mindful eating and the impact sleep has on brain functioning. The event encouraged us to reflect on our current wellbeing practices such as our newly integrated Pastoral Care Lessons and ways to integrate some of the practical strategies shared with us.
One of the workshops focused on healthy eating habits and how a balanced diet can contribute to our wellbeing. It is important to focus on nutrients that promote general health, increase energy and improve mental clarity.
One of the other workshops emphasised the critical role of quality sleep in enhancing school performance. The workshop highlighted how quality sleep boosts cognitive functions like memory retention, attention, and problem-solving skills, which are essential for learning. During sleep, the brain consolidates information learned during the day, making it easier to recall knowledge.
The student leaders facilitated various games testing our reaction time and memory retention, comparing how different sleep hours impact our performance.
This wellbeing conference was a great an opportunity to remind ourselves to prioritise our mental and emotional health. It was also a great reminder of how we play a key role in maintaining our wellbeing.
Michael Atra | Lucas Biscotto | Anthony Naim Megan Santiago
Year 11 Students Wellbeing Coordinator