Students exposed to mental health workshop

Students in Dimboola recently participated in the 'I am Mindful' program, which aims to equip students with the skills to cope and manage difficult times in a healthy way.

By Caitlin Menadue

Bede smells a candle.

After becoming successful in securing a grant from School Focus Youth Services, Dimboola Primary School students in Years five and 6 took part in the four-hour interactive workshop earlier this month.

Principal Greg Sampson said the program fits in the school's framework, focusing on the mental health and wellbeing of students.

"It's important for students to feel comfortable and safe at school," he said.

During the workshop, students explored their sensory preference and needs, engaged in open discussions about mental health and how to support their peers, explored ways to use their toolkit at school and home while integrating items from their box into their individual coping plans.

The I AM toolkit (I.A.M box) is an evidence-based toolkit endorsed and recommended by psychologists and school councillors and contains sensory items which help young people to manage distress and regulate emotions.

Appealing to the five senses, see, touch, taste, smell, and hear, students are equipped with items linked to skills to calm them in stressful and anxiety-ridden situations.

This included paired muscle relaxation (squishy), mammalian dive reflex (cooling mask), paced breathing (oils), mindfulness (sand) and distraction skill (word search).

Teachers, parents, and carers were also exposed to the program and participated in online and in-person sessions.