This Mental Health Awareness Week we’re delighted to report that our Hummingbird Project is now back in secondary schools, and later this month it will be coming to primary schools as well in order to reach a younger age group. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on children’s wellbeing and is likely to affect them for some time, so it’s more vital than ever that we help give them the tools and resources to support their mental health and happiness.
Launched in 2018, the Hummingbird Project is a six-week course that aims to improve mental health in young people. It was developed by MedEquip4Kids in partnership with psychologists at the University of Bolton and is being delivered free of charge in schools throughout Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The six workshops are based on concepts of Positive Psychology to help give young people the techniques and tools to become more emotionally resilient. Topics covered include Mental Health and Stigma, Happiness and Wellbeing, Resilience and Character Strengths, Growth Mindsets, Hope and Gratitude, and Mindfulness. Following the course, each school receives a package of resources to help them put their learning into practice.
As the Hummingbird Project Co-ordinator, Ian Platt arranges and delivers the sessions in secondary schools alongside trained volunteers. Ian, a psychology graduate from the University of Bolton, says: “The chance to help improve the mental health of young people was one that I couldn’t pass up. I was just finishing up my master’s degree when the charity began putting the project together and being able to build an intervention from scratch was a very exciting prospect. We’ve delivered the Hummingbird Project to hundreds of students already and it’s been a very rewarding experience.”
Claudine McFaul, also from the University of Bolton, will be delivering the course in two primary schools in Manchester and Liverpool from mid-May onwards, following a successful pilot scheme last year. Claudine is a practising counsellor and positive psychologist with a background in teaching. She has a particular interest in researching how positive psychology interventions can be applied in community and therapeutic settings to improve lives.
Claudine says: “The Hummingbird Project has the potential to increase young people’s wellbeing by introducing them to the insights of positive psychology in an engaging and accessible way.”
The Hummingbird Project is evidence-based and constantly evaluated to ensure it is delivering benefits for young people. You can read more about the research background and findings using the links below.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02012/full
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pits.22527
For more information about the Hummingbird Project, please contact MedEquip4Kids on 0161 798 1600 or email info@medequip4kids.org.uk.
