On 15 and 16 March we are welcoming students and school counsellors on campus for an exciting two-day in-person event focused on student mental health advocacy. This pilot programme aims to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to become advocates for mental health in their schools and communities so that they may educate parents with the hope of removing associated stigma and helping children and young people to access mental health support earlier.

During this training, participants will have the opportunity to learn about various mental health topics, including recognizing signs of anxiety, depression and other common forms of mental illness, promoting positive mental well-being, and destigmatizing mental health issues. Through interactive workshops and discussions, students will develop practical strategies to raise awareness and support their peers by educating parents, guardians and caregivers, so that children and young people avoid delays in accessing suitable mental health services quickly and when needed the most.

From passion to action

This pilot programme was initiated and developed by our Grade 12 student Anna Gross-Selbeck. Her journey on this programme started with her IB MYP Personal Project in Grade 10. Here she developed and conducted a parent workshop to raise awareness for teenage mental health. Anna's remarkable efforts were recognised with the prestigious Dr. Siva Kumari MYP Student Innovators’ Grant, which honours students fostering essential skills to become socially conscious leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Motivated by this recognition, Anna decided to expand her efforts and set up a mental health advocacy programme at BBIS. This led to the concept of a train-the-trainer initiative, which involves collaboration between school counsellors and volunteer students from various international schools.

Thank you to AGIS for supporting the launch of Listen Up!