Today we welcomed several guest speakers for our annual Health & Wellbeing Day. With talks going on all day, this always proves to be very insightful day for our students on a number of issues affecting young people.
The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation – a drug and alcohol education charity – aims to support young people in making safer choices about drugs and alcohol and reducing harm. They were established by Daniel’s parents following his death in 2014 from taking ecstasy. Our students learned about Daniel’s story before exploring some facts surrounding drugs, including how they work, their dangers, the law and how to stay safe. A mini-experiment helped students focus on the importance of going slow and questioning what they are given to drink that may contain drugs or alcohol. They came away with key advice, including setting up ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts on their phones, establishing an ‘escape plan’ for unsafe situations, and using the what3words app to ensure that help can find them quickly.
In the morning, students watched a video produced by GoDrive in which, as well as learning about safe driving, they were encouraged to discuss certain issues. Through the session they became more informed about what makes a good driver, focusing on 10 key areas – hazard perception; speed & distance; country roads; distractions; fitness to drive; impaired driving; the probational period; seatbelts; buying a safe car; and insurance. Furthermore, the session also focused on the impact of driving with passengers and peer pressure, along with how to be a supportive passenger.
This was followed in the afternoon by a session run by the Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service. Reinforcing the morning’s driving safety messages, they also explained the ‘Fatal 5’ causes of road traffic accidents and re-iterated the usefulness of what3words in helping establish your exact location. They then took the students outside to demonstrate the specialised equipment used at the scene of an accident.
For health and wellness, the NHS iCash (Integrated Contraception and Sexual Health) service delivered a talk on managing sexual health, as well as STI prevention. Meanwhile, St John Ambulance provided a hands-on, practical First Aid session where students learned how to perform CPR, conduct a primary survey on a casualty and operate an AED (automated external defibrillator).
Lastly, our very own Miss Thomas ran very informative sessions on mental health and wellbeing. While Miss Thomas teaches on our A-Level Psychology and Sociology courses, she previously worked as a trained Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, specifically working with children, young people and their families. She used her expertise to speak to students about promoting resilience and maintaining good mental health.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the individuals and organisations who volunteered their time to make today’s Health & Wellbeing Day a success.