On World Child Rights Day, with the intention of raising awareness and improving children’s welfare, sessions on child rights and mental health awareness were conducted at Don Bosco Mithra High School, Horamavu on 20 November 2023 by BREADS. The sessions were handled by Ms. Sona Jacob, an intern at BREADS from the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Cochin. Fr. Paul Chalissery, Principal of the school, coordinated the event for the 120 students studying in grades 6, 7, and 8.
The session focussed on basic child rights along with an emphasis on their mental well-being. Topics included various types of stress experienced by children, strategies to cope with them, sleep deprivation and its effect on mental health, time management, healthy interpersonal relationships, and the need for caution in the usage of social media.
The children took part with great interest in pencil drawing on the theme of child labour. The session ended with a relaxation technique of guided imagery, through which the children learned how to effectively manage stress.
