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A new approach to teaching mental health as part of the New Zealand curriculum enables it to be taught at school, every day, just like literacy and maths.
Mitey was developed by the Sir John Kirwan Foundation with input from specialists from the University of Auckland, as well as New Zealand educators, teachers, and clinicians. It enables schools to deliver effective mental health education as part of everyday teaching.
Long-time mental health advocate, Sir John Kirwan, says Mitey will help mental health become an ordinary but important subject at school.
Kirwan visited Patumāhoe School and Pukekohe Hill School on April 29 to speak with pupils and teachers about mental health and the Mitey programme.
“It’s been an incredible journey for the last seven or eight years. Seeing the teachers, seeing it implemented, and seeing the kids using a dialogue that I probably would never have learned, is pretty special,” Kirwan told the Franklin Times.
“The research shows us that if we can teach the ABC of mental health, consistently, to children when they are young, they will understand how to manage life’s ups and downs and they’ll have empathy for others who may be having a tough time.”
Mitey is a solution for teachers and schools without adding extra pressure to an already crowded curriculum. It has been developed so mental health can be taught as a subject in its own right.
Dedicating time to teaching mental health in the classroom aims to help promote wellbeing across the entire school and its community, involving staff, tamariki (children) and whānau (family).
Mitey also assists schools with staff wellbeing, community engagement and policy development to ensure mental health education is embedded across each school’s unique setting.
When a school partners with Mitey, they are assigned a Mitey coach who provides a high level of support.
“One of the great things about Mitey is that our coaches work alongside each school to provide professional development for teachers in a way that works for them,” JK Foundation chief executive Sarah Manley says.
Kirwan points to mental health as being one of the biggest challenges we have in New Zealand.
“We know our youth suicide rates are too high, but getting to the heart of why that is, is really complex. Mitey can help. It will allow schools to equip our tamariki with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to deal with pressure and their place in the world, when life gets tough,” Kirwan says.
