"Some battles are invisible, and I fight them daily with nobody watching..."
On February, 23, in our school, we celebrated World Depression Day in the atmosphere of empathy and support for people who are in a serious emotional crisis.
All students in grades 5-8 participated in the celebration, making space for talking about our feelings and emotions as well as about self-acceptance and mental health.
They got special "paper clouds" with some positive thoughts written on them: "I like myself for... ", " I'm cool because... " , "I praise myself for...". Their task was to complete the thoughts. Then, each class cut the "clouds" out and sticked them onto a big sheet of paper. As a result, a colorful map of positive energy appeared. It showed that there are values in each of us.
The symbol of solidarity with people in depression was a daisy flower as a sticker. Our students sticked the daisies onto their clothes as a symbol of support for these, who suffer from depression.
There was an "art corner", a special place, where you could "embrace your emotions" and express them in an unconventional way, for example in a form of drawing colours and words. The students could take the good words drawings as short, reinforcing messages with them for the rest of the day. This idea was met with great interest.
Our great support teachers presented a special bulletin full of educational materials concerning depression and also information on how to get help if you understand you break down. They reminded that depression is a serious illness that needs to be treated and that in a crisis situation it is worth seeking support from specialists. The students were also informed about available helplines and possibilities of obtaining help.
Meanwhile, some quotes describing how people experiencing depression feel appeared in the school corridors. They were meant to help the students understand people in a mental health crisis better and to raise awareness of their needs.
We thank all the students and the teachers for their involvement and passion in making our school a place of kindness, openness, and support.
Natalia Lachowska, Maja Zarzycka, grade 7b
