Hello supporters,
This is an update of my most recent StarFlySavers camp to help promote mental health education for children in youth. The Alberta Government could benefit from implementing this sort of course into their curriculum as a class or workshop.
Here is what we did for five days:
Day 1:
Day one of the summer arts camp headed off to a good start. To start off simple, we played a movie for the kids, “Big Hero Six”. Before watching the movie, we played some team-building exercises and had everyone do a mini-presentation about themselves including their favourite colour, game, what school they go to, etc. They seemed to enjoy the movie and we had set up a snack table near one corner of the room. This session went overtime because the movie was approximately two hours but the public library was kindly willing to let us finish. “Big Hero Six” went along my theme of mental health awareness as the movie had many aspects of this in it. Towards the beginning of the film, the main characters' brother is killed in a fire. The lead, Hiro, starts to suffer from depression and his dead brother's robot, Baymax, takes on the role of his “healthcare companion”. The bot initially tries to treat a physical illness. Hiro eventually tells Baymax that this isn’t that type of sickness. Baymax could have dismissed Hiro’s suffering because there was nothing physical about his health problems. However, Baymax finds out what he can about grieving and ways to support someone in Hiro’s position. He provides a shocking amount of comfort for a robot; as well as helps Hiro reconnect with his friends and family whom he lost touch with while grieving. The way that this movie deals with grief and depression is so fantastic because all too often, we see these invisible illnesses pushed aside because there are no physical symptoms. Here we see a character who takes into account the fact that Hiro was not alright and still needed support, even though it can’t necessarily be seen. There’s such a stigma surrounding depression and other mental illnesses; if this stigma continues, the young children of today might be deterred from looking for help if they should ever have a mental illness in the future. However, if they’re exposed to characters who don’t discriminate mental illness, perhaps they’ll feel more comfortable looking for helping if they ever find themselves struggling with mental illness someday.
Day 2:
Day two was a painting session. Painting prompts we gave to the kids included:
1. How do you think blind people see the world?
2. What does happiness look like to you?
3. If you could give one gift to every single child in the world, what gift would you give?
Materials we provided include paint, paintbrushes, canvases, ribbons, glitter, paper, and all other painting necessities. We also let them frame their work to take home with them.
The purpose of these questions was to get the children thinking about all the difficulties and issues that people less fortunate than they might be going through. It was meant to inspire them to think beyond themselves and focus on the bigger picture. It promotes well-being because it makes them more sensitive to other people's thoughts, feelings and emotions - like a blind person. Two of the three questions focus on the intangible while the third is more materialistic - this was meant for them to think critically in a way that they might not be used to. I, personally, really enjoyed this activity because I had some interesting conversations with the participants because I got to know more about them personally and all the things they cared about and made them happy. It also allowed the participants to think brightly and focus on the future and how to become more involved in the lives of others.
Day 3:
Day three we had an origami session for the kids which consisted of many origami instructions that ranged from beginner to advanced level. Some of the things that the kids made included a crane, a dog, a boat, a lotus flower, a 3d box, etc. This session was inspired by a news article I had come across which spoke of the effectiveness of origami for mental health patients and wellbeing in general. Life as a young person, especially with our technologically advanced environment today, can be very exhausting. This activity was meant for the participants to practice mindfulness. Origami helps develop hand-eye coordination and mental concentration. Paper folding challenges us at the cognitive level as we follow instructions while learning new skills and activities. Physically, our hands become active. Memory, non-verbal thinking, attention, 3D comprehension and imagination are further stimulated when taking part in an origami session. I thought this session was very beneficial because it allows for emotional satisfaction when completing a creation and is a form of relaxation. The participants were strongly encouraged to continue to practice or image whenever they are stressed or need a break.
Day 4:
Day four was another painting session except for this time instead of using canvases, we had them paint mason jars instead. We encouraged the kids to paint their jars in recognition for someone important to them like a teacher, sibling, friend or parent. Some of the supplies we provided included mason jars, ribbons, glitter, paint, feathers, etc. Very much like the origami session, this one was meant to practice new ways of releasing stress. I chose a painting/craft session because art relieves stress, encourages creative thinking, encourages brain activity, offers a sense of accomplishment, and improves memory and cognitive abilities. Not only this but it improves self-esteem and social behaviour. These crafts are meant to encourage the kids to continue to take breaks and do more art as it is not something that is regularly done in schools on a daily basis. This activity was meant to show the kids that they can create art from anything, including mason jars, which we referred to as “happiness jars”. These jars were meant to be a symbol of joy in which the kids could put some of their favourite items inside as a keepsake.
Day 5:
Day five was a craft session in which the kids could make whatever they wanted from on the supplies we provided them which included paint, paper butterflies, origami paper, ribbons, glitter, stickers, and varieties of pom-pom balls and other craft supplies. We also played some more team building activities and provided the kids with some prizes they could win if they won a game which included craft supplies, paint supplies, a markers kit, a planner, drawing pens, etc. Just like the origami and painting sessions, this was meant for the participants to continue to create art on a day to day basis. Art has many health benefits and we stressed this to the participants as a way for them to relax and recharge themselves anytime they wish.
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Stay tuned for further updates about the next camp!!!! My website replicating this in-person camp is currently under development. Contact me if you live in Calgary - I would love for you and your kids to attend!!!