World Mental Health Day: Nurturing students and their well-being

On this year’s World Mental Health Day, the Aga Khan Academy Maputo would like to showcase some of the efforts made in the Junior School to support and promote the well-being of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) students.   

The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness on mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health. This day provides an opportunity for all individuals working on mental health issues to talk about their work and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for all worldwide. 

“The work that we do at the AKA Maputo is very much geared towards tackling specific issues that prevent students from living life to the fullest,” said AKA Maputo School Counsellor Tania Ribeiro. “The Academy provides students with an inclusive, interactive and supportive academic environment, investing properly into their full potential in the academic realm and in their futures.”  

In the Junior School, Junior School Principal Maike Silver and PYP Coordinator Emma Wheatley have incorporated sessions into the PYP class time to promote the well-being of the students. These sessions have included activities around kindness, gratitude and conflict resolution.   

“Active participation such as role-play or fun collaborative games are key in promoting a healthy balance in the students’ school life,” Maike said. “Therefore, we organised house competitions that required teamwork and used the six bricks (LEGO) to promote positive communication and memory training, amongst other skills,” Maike said.  

Maike said these sessions are well-liked by the PYP students as they promote engagement, inclusivity and a lot of laughter. “Learning should be fun and our teachers work hard on finding a balance between academic rigour and the social-emotional well-being of our students,” Maike said.