Know Yourself
Children’s Mental Health Week
3-9 February 2025
Know yourself, Grow Yourself
Routh Hall Assembly led by the Bring Your Whole Self to ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ Peer Mentor Team
You Matter written the Bring Your Whole Self to ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ Peer Mentors
In a world so big, so wide, so bright,
Your heart and mind shine full of light.
Every feeling, big or small,
Matters, child—you matter all.
It’s okay to laugh, it’s okay to cry,
To ask for help, to wonder why.
Kind words and hugs, a hand to hold,
Make our hearts feel safe and bold.
So, share your thoughts, your dreams, your fears,
You're never alone through all the years.
You are special, brave, and strong—
Loved and valued all along.
Peer Mentors are an important part of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ's support system, they are here for you, whenever you need them. We are lucky to have over 60 Peer Mentors in the Senior ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ, so please, if you need someone to talk to, reach out, we are more than happy to help you as much as we can!
February 3rd to the 9th marks Children's Mental Health week, the theme is ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’ and as a ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ we want to celebrate how building resilience, raising self-awareness, and forming strong connections with others can provide a positive experience for us all and in turn make you a happier and more successful person.
“When our brains constantly scan for and focus on the positive, we profit from three of the most important tools available to us: happiness, gratitude, and optimism. The role happiness plays should be obvious, the more you pick up on the positive around you, the better you’ll feel—and we’ve already seen the advantages to performance that brings. The second mechanism at work here is gratitude, because the more opportunities for positivity we see, the more grateful we become. Psychologist Robert Emmons, who has spent nearly his entire career studying gratitude, has found that few things in life are as integral to our well-being. Countless other studies have shown that consistently grateful people are more energetic, emotionally intelligent, forgiving, and less likely to be depressed, anxious, or lonely. And it’s not that people are only grateful because they are happier, either; gratitude has proven to be a significant cause of positive outcomes.
When researchers pick random volunteers and train them to be more grateful over a period of a few weeks, they become happier and more optimistic, feel more socially connected, enjoy better quality sleep, and even experience fewer headaches than control groups.”
This is an extract from, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor, it is a valuable lesson for us all in ‘knowing yourself and to grow yourself’.
The Happiness Advantage is a psychology theory that draws a connection between personal happiness and professional success. It proposes that the happier people are, the more successful they'll be. The theory teaches us how to retrain our brains to capitalise on positivity and improve our productivity and performance. Happiness and optimism fuel performance and achievement. The benefits of being happy are deeper than feeling good, and happiness has measurable, lasting effects on your mind and body. By knowing yourself, you can grow yourself and become a happier person.
50% of mental health concerns start by the age of 14, which is why today, we are here to remind you about the Bring Your Whole Self To ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ Peer Mentor initiative, where, as a group of trained Sixth Formers, can guide and support you through the different stages you experience both inside and outside of school, just like an older sibling.
This initiative provides an opportunity to create meaningful conversations about mental health, encouraging everyone to take small but significant steps toward improving their positivity and well-being. We aim to be a source of encouragement and a reminder that you are never alone in facing challenges. Self-awareness is key to understanding your strengths and recognising areas for growth, which is an important part of becoming confident in your identity. From time to time, we need the help of another to recognise the opportunities and greatness we possess and to celebrate the small wins. We hope to help you reach your potential and find happiness in tough situations. The Happiness Advantage!
Sometimes we can learn more about ourselves with the help of others. We may not see the positive parts of ourselves as easily, so feedback from friends, family and teachers can help us find out. This is what the Peer Mentors are here for. There is so much potential waiting in the future, and you don’t need to have everything figured out today or tomorrow. It’s important to remember that personal growth doesn’t have a timeline – every step, no matter how small, brings you closer to reaching your potential.
Please speak to a member of staff, a Peer Mentor, or scan the QR code in houses to request a mentor. Peer Mentors are here to listen, support, and encourage you as you navigate through challenges and discover more about yourself. Having someone to talk to can make all the difference, and we are committed to ensuring that you feel heard and supported.
We also want to highlight the new Bring Your Whole Self to ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ Spark Club. This is held in LRC5 on Monday every two weeks, starting the first Monday back, next half-term. It's quiet space where peer mentors are available to help with academic work, play a board game or just to have chat, and anyone is welcome. The Re-Wired Club is every Wednesday lunch in Curriculum Support, for anyone who is neuro divergent. And finally, we would like to acknowledge the Alliance, our LGBTQ+ Society, who are recognising February as Gay History Month with a meeting on Wednesday 12TH February at 1:20PM in the physics department.
Know Yourself, Grow Yourself with likeminded people and those who will bring positivity and happiness to your life.
Please check out the peer mentor profiles to see who could you help you grow your potential and ultimately get to know yourself better?
Maya Angelou said: “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be”. By embracing who you truly are, you can achieve great things and inspire others to do the same. Instead of focusing on fitting in, focus on standing out in the best possible way.
Thank you, and have a wonderful week being your true self.