MINDS
Mental well-being is increasingly recognised as a vital component of holistic child development.
Its importance is underscored by BREADS’ experience of working against addictions among
children and youth in Kerala through awareness, counselling and rehabilitation services.
Acknowledging the growing stressors that children face and the need to equip them to deal with
situations with resilience, BREADS launched the Mental health Initiative for Nurturing
Development and Support (MINDS) in Karnataka, aimed at enhancing mental health support for
vulnerable children.
MINDS takes a preventive and developmental approach by cultivating balanced mental health
among school children in mainstream educational settings in six districts of Karnataka—
Bangalore, Chitradurga, Vijayanagara, Yadagiri, Raichur and Bidar—engaging with both
government and private schools. Through this initiative, BREADS offers accessible mental
health education and capacity building for 3,000 children, 3,000 parents, schoolteachers,
volunteers and mental health professionals.
MINDS also works through counsellors and teachers, building their capacity through structured
training programmes to recognise, respond to and promote the mental well-being of students in
their care. While inspired by the DREAM (addiction prevention) initiative, MINDS goes beyond
addiction-related issues, addressing a wide spectrum of emotional, social and behavioural
challenges that affect children’s learning and growth. By empowering schools to foster healthier
learning environments, MINDS aims to create systems of care for children, ensuring they are not
only educated but also emotionally resilient and capable of thriving in society.
