Mental Health, for an India filled with love and compassion
An India filled with love and compassion. Where every child gets the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. This is our dream, and the dream of many more like-minded organizations and individuals alike. And the most potent means to achieve this is by ensuring educational equity for all — By providing a holistic, 21st century education to children without any discrimination of any sort.
But an emerging trend that’s fast-becoming a major concern of worry for educators and parents is the rise of mental health issues in students.
According to the UN State of the World’s Children Report 2021, an estimated 13 percent of adolescents aged 10–19 live with a diagnosed mental disorder.
The above figures represent the ones that have received clinical help. However, it should not come as a surprise that the stigma around mental health makes it very difficult for children, young adults and caregivers to express their feelings in a society such as ours. In the light of this, we’ve collated a list of resources to serve as a handy guide towards understanding mental health and avenues to reach out for your wellbeing and that of your children/students.
The Wellbeing Movement, Bangalore
A space for seekers to gain insights, develop skills and cultivate practice with the help of wellbeing professionals and practitioners, Wellbeing movement is a multiplatform site featuring thematic WhatsApp groups, practice challenges, in-person circles, and nurturing zones.
“Well-being is the state of being in harmony with yourself and your world. Many of us struggle with cultivating well being because of the lack of know-how, inability to cultivate the practice and the absence of supportive environments in our lives. At the Wellbeing Movement, we are bringing together a community that can help individuals address some of these challenges. They can both receive and offer learning, connection and support on their journey in this safe, nourishing ecosystem — Kapil Dawda, WellBeing Movement.”
Find Platforms and safe-spaces for your wellbeing
Slam-Out Loud, Mumbai
Art is a wonderful avenue for expressing ourselves, especially for children. It can take the form of each child’s language, to communicate and express themselves freely in a safe environment.
Mental health of students was perhaps the biggest concern of educators and parents during the pandemic. The situation became so daunting that it became imperative to ask not just children but ourselves too, as to how we are coping with the situation and how we are doing, and how are we feeling? Today, as the world reopens and moves to normalcy, the situation continues to be more or less intimidating.
“Every child deserves to be asked the right questions. How are you feeling? What has affected you right now? And as educators, we often forget that if a child is not doing socially and emotionally well, how can a child perform in the classroom? Saturday Art Class has created a safe space in the classroom by integrating social-emotional learning through a language that has no barriers and requires no backgrounds, that is art” — Manasi Mehan, Co-Founder Saturday Art Class.
Saturday Art Class collaborated with Teach For India (Mumbai) for free art classes to students.
Find digital open-resources accessible for children, parents and educators.
Because YOU, Mumbai
Featuring a transformative 5 session workshop program with experts and facilitators, Because YOU takes a wholeness approach to mental health — where a person goes on a journey of self-discovery at their own gentle pace.
“Wholeness, Compassion and Connection. Three words that define our essence. BecauseYOU was born out of a belief that people impacted by mental health issues can live a high potential life — if given the right support and belief in their own resilience and creativity. We place an emphasis on understanding yourself better, and going on a journey of self-discovery with others facing similar issues. This way, the journey can be creative and joyful, instead of being chaotic and lonely!” — Daniel Lobo, Founder & CEO, Because YOU.
Find tailored mental health programs from BecauseYOU
Swaheal, The US
Consistent check-ups with the children, counselling and guidance along with the support of peers can go a long way in managing mental health. Giving our bodies the chance to heal itself, i.e. Self-healing is a fascinating avenue for staying healthy. Self-healing via building emotional resilience and the ability to make a choice when all-odds seem against ‘having a choice’ are some of the aspects of self-healing, as so eloquently described by Shobali, Founder of Swaheal.
“The main ingredient to self healing is to have a reliable self, and the most efficient way to have a wise, reliable self is to have meditative practice. Having a sound meditation practice cultivates in us the ability to see things clearly. The meditative practice should ideally incorporate the whole being — body & mind” — Shobali Thapa, Founder — Swaheal.
Alternative Counseling, and Meditation & Yoga Guidance — Find here
Wayam Mental Wellness, Delhi
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, HAQ Center for Child Rights and Wayam Mental Wellness developed a short quiz to help us increase our understanding of mental wellness.
If you’d like to test your knowledge and increase your understanding about mental health and wellness, fill up the short quiz and test your scores.
Access the free Mental Health awareness quiz.
Mind Room
“In India — our reality with respect to seeking mental health support often comes with difficulties involving stigmatization, affordability and accessibility. Since COVID-19 hit, the mental health crisis in India has only gotten worse. According to a recent survey by the Indian Psychiatry Society, one in five Indians has a mental illness, a 20% increase in cases since the start of the pandemic. For this reason, the choices I make both personally and professionally are intended to ensure this percentage does not increase in my immediate line of control” — Dipti Balwani, Co-Founder Mind Room.
Watch a beautiful mental health video message from Mind Room on the occasion of World Mental Health Day. — https://www.instagram.com/p/CU2QTGWM4e5/
Mindroom aims to build compassionate and stigma free communities by offering a variety of safe sharing spaces that are affordable and accessible to empower individuals to live resilient lives with the end goal of destigmatizing mental health, and creating safe, accessible and affordable individual and group spaces of mental health support to build psychological resilience.
Mind Room holds weekly group sharing spaces to help us take care of our minds and hearts. Click to get a flavor of what the mind room offers and does.
Fill up the form with the link in the Instagram bio to get access to one of their safe spaces.
Project Chahat, Delhi
An initiative under Teach For India to bring awareness of Social Emotional Learning in under-served communities, the mission is to bring a transition in how society caters for parenthood.
Project Chahat is also for upskilling parents to help enrich their lifestyles, which in turn will help the future of their children & our society.
“Social Emotional Learning along with Life Skill development opportunities can empower underprivileged communities & give them the confidence to overcome life challenges” — Shivani Garg, Founder Project Chahat, Teach For India Fellow (2020–22, Delhi).
The organization has created a six-step session plan to help parents with social emotional learning and upskilling them with life development opportunities.
Access the session presentations.
Access the Session Recordings.
Let’s raise awareness for Mental Health by asking our children, our friends and ourselves, Are you okay? And also by passing along this handy set of resources.
Wish you a healthy mind and healthy body!
