Healthy Minds

Tamariki face many challenges to their mental health and wellbeing, and growing up isn’t easy

Factors like increased loneliness, discrimination, harmful environments, social pressures, increased social media and worries about the future are just a few of the struggles that impact the mental health of tamariki.

Partnering to support tamariki through lifes challenges

Life Education Trust NZ and Anxiety NZ have come together, creating Healthy Minds to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing to thrive. Healthy Minds aim's to empower young people to grow their hauora and meet challenges with resilience. Our Healthy Minds resources have been reviewed by Anxiety NZ’s clinical team of experts, to ensure teaching models and resources fit with best practice in the field.

Health, wellbeing and behaviours developed as a young person largely shape your success throughout life. Our young people are our future, and it is important they learn how to develop a positive growth mindset and resilience in order to be happy and healthy now and in years to come.

Unfortunately, statistics show declining emotional and mental wellbeing of young people in New Zealand

1. Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey, 2. Unicef Innocenti Report Card 2020, 3. Life Education Child Survey 2018

Healthy Minds provides teachers support in teaching children resilience and strategies to manage anxiety. Educators encourage tamariki to think critically and consider the strategies and solutions that can make it easier to manage emotionally, preparing them for when challenges arise.

We support the mental health and hauora of tamariki through our teaching

Life Education teaching is focused on the magnificence of the brain, building a positive identity, and ability to identify and regulate different feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

	We help each child to feel comfortable with their identity and understand how incredibly special and amazing they are. We know how easy it is to focus on weaknesses which can lead to low self-esteem. We can help turn this around by helping children to discover how to use positive self-talk which helps us to become more resilient.
	Our Educators teach children about the magnificence of the human brain, giving students an understanding of how the brain functions. Using models and digital technology, we are able to demonstrate how the different areas of the brain may be affected when stressed. We teach children how to regulate their emotions when they are worried or stressed.
	We have produced videos and resources which represent the types of problems children typically face. These help children identify their thoughts and emotions. Through our video content children identify with characters feelings and practice empathy as they discuss what it's like to be in someone else's shoes. Our videos and resources help students explore and consider how they might adapt their behaviour, thinking and emotional responses as they navigate through the issues they may be facing.

To find out more about what we teach, check out our programme strands here.

Outcomes of our teaching

“Students are being more mindful of their wellbeing and with the help of our latest Life Ed visit, the students are able to articulate this more using key phrases.”. - North Wellington

“Understanding the feelings they have and how to manage them­selves. Knowing it’s ok to feel this way - but show respect and care for self and others. Know how to have a positive mindset and what it is like to ‘walk in someone elses shoes’.” - Heartland

“Increased awareness of themselves and their peers in relation to learning, kindness. students using the terminology from the lessons to unpack their feelings and emotions.” - Puahue School