Want to introduce mindfulness into the education and lives of all children

An appeal to the government and all those involved in the upbringing and education of children

At the 'Mental Health Matters!' conference, which took place this week, the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, and Arna Pálsdóttir, acting chair of the board of Pieta, signed a call to action to the government and those involved in the upbringing and education of children, to prioritise preventative work for the benefit of children. With this appeal, the City of Hafnarfjörður and Pieta wish to reiterate the need for the implementation of mental health promotion in the learning and lives of all children.  

^{Arna Pálsdóttir and Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir sign a petition to the government}  

A call to the government – mental health for children

It is important to speed up the implementation of laws and action plans.  

The challenge also reiterates the importance of accelerating the implementation of the laws and action plans that have been put forward for the benefit of children, in order to prevent serious mental health problems in the present and the future. The challenge highlights that trauma and adverse childhood experiences can have serious consequences for mental health and the development of psychological and social problems later in life. Therefore, promoting mental health and preventative measures aimed at strengthening children's ability to manage emotions, resist risky behaviour, build perseverance and resilience to cope with difficult situations and adversity, and practise self-care, are of key importance. 

^{Fewer people than wanted got into the 'Mental Health Matters!' conference.} 

The school community: the most suitable platform – a pilot project in Hafnarfjörður 

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer is implementing an action plan to reduce suicides in Iceland, which was approved in April 2018. According to it, the school community is the most suitable platform for reaching as many children in society as possible through mental health promotion and prevention. Last winter, the municipality of Hafnarfjörður and the Pieta Foundation piloted The prevention programme Building Resilience and Brighter Futures (BUILD) in all 8th-grade classes in Hafnarfjörður with positive results. The BUILD course, originally developed in Ireland and successfully implemented there, was further developed and adapted to Icelandic circumstances. BUILD is a 6-week course designed to support young people in tackling different challenges in life, building perseverance and resilience, and enhancing self-confidence and emotional skills. BUILD is a tool in the toolbox, meets the requirements for empowering school professionals, is suitable for implementing primary prevention, and can be tailored to the needs of children for education and support. More local authorities need to implement tools like BUILD. 

Synergy and the integration of different systems is key. 

The collaboration of different systems, such as the education, social and healthcare systems, as well as non-governmental organisations that work across these systems and provide support, is of the utmost importance when it comes to preventative work. It is therefore imperative that the integration of services between ministries and institutions, and within institutions themselves, is established as soon as possible. All the foundations are in place to work together, but both support and a genuine will are lacking to systematically introduce mental health promotion into children's education. Individual professions also need to explore the opportunities that lie in teamwork and collaboration, with the aim of offering a comprehensive, tiered service for children and families where the children's strengths, not their weaknesses, are the focus.

Further information is provided by: 

• Eiríkur Þorvarðarson, Head of Analysis and Consultancy, City of Hafnarfjörður – eirikurth@hafnarfjordur.is / 664 5815
• Hulda Ingibjörg Rafnarsdóttir – hulda@pieta.is / 698 0929