World Teen Mental Wellness Day
Image: A father and secondary school age son speaking to a teacher.
Create a mindfulness space in the school
A mindfulness space can be for pupils to practise mindfulness in, or learn about it to practise the techniques elsewhere. Before planning your mindfulness space, speak with your school to make sure they’re happy with the idea and have an appropriate area you can use. You could suggest adding to an existing quiet zone if you have one.
A mindfulness space could include:
- A comfortable chair or pillows
- Mindfulness books, such as The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens by Paula Nagel, or a printout of some commonly used techniques such as the 5–4‑3–2‑1 method
- Noise-cancelling headphones
- White noise machine
- Mind jars – a jar filled with glue and glitter
- A poster or flyer with links to mindfulness apps such as Headspace, Mindshift and CALM
Invite a sportsperson to give a talk at your school
Teens know that physical activity is good for them, but hearing this from someone outside of their day-to-day lives who can speak from lived experience is more likely to motivate them to take action. Meeting a professional sportsperson will also be an inspiring and memorable experience for the pupils.
The cost of a motivational speaker’s time can vary – anywhere from £250 to tens of thousands of pounds – so make sure you know how much you’re willing to put aside before engaging in conversations with either an agency for speakers or the speaker themselves.
Unless you have a particular sportsperson in mind, we highly recommend asking for recommendations rather than searching the internet for someone. Our Facebook group, PTA Hangout, is a great place to start, and you could also ask school staff or other local PTAs.
Run a pupil coffee morning
Due to lack of funding, the number of youth clubs and groups in the UK has dropped significantly over the last decade. As a result, there aren’t many places where teenagers can just hang out and talk with one another confidently and safely. Isolation and loneliness are a growing concern – a lot of young people socialise online, and while it is a great way for young people to find their community, speaking face to face is so much better for their mental wellbeing.
To encourage teens to put down their phones and engage in conversation, you could hold a coffee morning before school or during one of their breaks with a selection of food and drink for them to enjoy. If all goes well, it could even become a regular event.
Host a crafternoon
Crafting is a hugely popular hobby at the moment and there are many affordable kits to be found online for a whole host of different activities. If you want to introduce the pupils to something a bit more complex, you could hire local crafty artists and businesses for an after-school class.
Here are some unique craft activities that teens would love:
- Pottery (or pottery painting)
- Knitting or crochet
- Jewellery making
- Nail art
- Bookmark making
- T‑shirt printing
- Tie dying
- Cyanotype printing
Call out for volunteers
It’s time for a volunteer recruitment drive! Start a mini campaign in the school asking for pupil volunteers to help run your PTA. Whether it’s helping with social media posts, creating posters or even hosting some events, there are so many ways you can get the pupils involved with your PTA – and we expect a few extra pairs of hands would be much appreciated!
To attract more volunteers, be explicit about the benefits of volunteering. It’s ideal for any pupils doing The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, looks great on university applications, helps pupils learn essential skills for future careers, and you could even offer freebies like snacks and drinks. And don’t be shy about asking the teachers if they would be willing to promote your volunteer recruitment drive during classes.
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