Banchory Devenick pupils become first mindfulness ambassadors in Scotland

By Calum Petrie

June 6 2022, 5:00 pm

Banchory Devenick pupils Katie and Shamu, both 8, deliver a mindfulness session to their classmates.

An Aberdeen school has become the first ‘Mind Safe’ school in Scotland.

Youngsters at Banchory Devenick School have benefited from 15 half-hour mental health sessions over the last few months.

The sessions were provided by Absafe, a charity dedicated to the wellbeing of the local community.

Absafe educate young people on topics such as mental wellbeing, cyber security and alcohol/drug awareness, among others.

The focus of their work with the Banchory Devenick youngsters, from P1 to P7, focussed mainly on mindfulness, while also addressing issues like cyberbullying.

Pupils learned about how their brain develops, how to develop a strong mindset, and various techniques they can use to work with their mind in a positive and productive way.

Mindfulness ambassadors needed more than ever: ‘We have the saddest kids in Europe’

Absafe project facilitator Kairn McKee said: “Today we’re seeing a rise in anxiety and depression, we have the saddest kids in Europe!

“Our children are suffering from struggles that didn’t exist five years ago. They’re feeling overwhelmed due to the burdens of social media.

“Young people are more anxious and have a lack of resilience to fast-paced changes that we all struggle to keep a handle on. As adults we know how much pressure social media places on us 24/7 – it is debilitating.”

He added: “We think it’s getting worse. Cyber and social media seems to be the biggest problem right now.

“We’ve taught the kids that anything unpleasant that does happen only happens in that moment, it’s not permanent. And we taught them how to combat cyberbullying when they come across it.

“A big element of our sessions centred on mindfulness, teaching the kids how to keep calm and reset themselves.”

Some of the Banchory Devenick pupils became ‘mindfulness ambassadors’.

“Now they are the first ever ‘Mind Safe’ ambassadors, leading three mindfulness sessions every day for their whole class,” added Mr McKee. “And amazingly, they’re only eight years old.”

Confidence to deal with times of trouble

Teacher Sarah Stephen, who leads the school’s health promoting group, said she felt energised herself after the mindfulness sessions.

She added: “Some of the children became mindfulness ambassadors. It gave them the confidence to stand up in front of the rest of the class and lead the sessions.

“It just gave the kids the time to decompress after playtime, give them that space in their mind before coming back into class.

“We actually noticed an improvement in their behaviour as a result of the mindfulness sessions.

“The children also gained skills which they can bring into their personal lives, in times of trouble or moments of stress. They now have the techniques to help calm themselves down.

“We have higher levels of anxiety as a society these days.”

Three in four parents say they are worried about their child’s mental health following the pandemic, a new survey has found.