The mental health awareness event commenced at 2.30 pm. In the first place, we had a warm welcome from the NGO. Furthermore, we interacted with the children and gave a brief introduction to the organization and ourselves.
Moreover discussion about the importance of mental health issues that were faced by young children we briefly discussed. Likewise, the importance of mental health studies was also provided to the children. We also prepared a PowerPoint presentation on Mental Health.
Going further interactive activities were conducted to assess the understanding of the children. In the end, we shared refreshments and prizes with the children and thus we shared our gratitude for the hospitality we received from the Parkshala NGO.
About the NGO
Parksha is an NGO which is based in Noida. The purpose of this NGO is to dedicate towards transforming the lives of children who are unprivileged. As an NGO they work as a support system for children to ensure their holistic development. Moreover, most of the lessons are taught to children in community parks and halls. Moreover, the NGO works with the support of consistent donations. We wholeheartedly support the philanthropic activities conducted by the NGO. Hence we also recommended people wholeheartedly support their function through charitable donations.
In the meantime, the NGO consist of 14 Volunteers, 22 Teachers, and more than 300 students.
Significance of Mental Health in the Overall Development of Children
According to the World Health Organisation, the Mental is a state where an individual has a proper realisation of their own potential and they are capable of managing stress based on daily affairs. For the most part, it focuses on working productively and thus ensuring fruitful contributions to the community.
However, it has been observed that mental health as a topic still requires a lot of awareness. In this digital age, we are living, it is easy to access information about mental health. Additionally, the information is considered very generic. In spite of all this, it has been observed that mental health troubles are common among the general public. As a result, prominent global organisations lay emphasis on issues such as mental health and other troubles.
During the event, we had an interactive session with the children regarding the information and importance of mental health issues. Accordingly, we also did an interactive quiz session with the children. Further, we awarded children with attractive prizes for providing correct answers for correct answers.
Prior to our NGO visit, we had conducted internal research regarding the concept of mental health. However, we found that academic discourse related to mental health was relatively very low. As a result, it was likely that children be less aware of the concepts around the mental health of children.
In the first place, individuals should be aware that the process of mental health is a continuous process and one should be able to acknowledge the importance of mental health. Furthermore, at a mental health event, Denise Coia referred to the fact that there is minimal change among individuals who are diagnosed with mental health issues. As a result, it is essential to address the rise in the number who are presented with emotional distress-related activities. Furthermore, the focus should be based on addressing the problem of the rise in Mental Health issues.
Among the common terminologies based on Mental Health issues are:
- Mental Health: This is basically an umbrella term that often overlaps between concepts related to Mental Health problems and well-being.
- Mental Health Difficulties: It is a term that focuses on the symptoms that match up the criteria related to the clinical diagnosis of various mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and so on
- Mental Well-Being: This term focuses on the self-satisfaction of introspection among individuals. For the most part, it discusses concepts such as self-confidence, self-worth and so more.
It is important that individuals be aware of these terminologies related to mental health.
There are several NGOs working on spreading awareness about the concepts related to mental health and other common issues altogether.
According to the research conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, it has been found that:
- 1 in 10 children have no one to talk to in school when they are worried or sad
- nearly four in ten (38%) said that it caused them difficulty going to sleep
- more than a quarter (27%) said they got into fights or arguments
- more than one in four (26%) said that it caused them to struggle to do their homework
- more than one in four (27%) didn’t want to be around others.
Therefore it is important to obtain proper information with regard to concepts of mental health. Likewise, the purpose of the NGO visit is to spread awareness about the concepts of mental health among the unprivileged societies of Delhi-NCR.
We had the opportunity to connect with Parkshala, a prominent NGO in Noida Sector 44. During our visit, we interacted with the students and informed them about the significance of mental health.
Discussion around the factors that could affect the mental health of an individual,
For the most part, it focuses on the discussion around the measure which focuses on the aspects which could contribute towards how a child feels and behaves around different circumstances. Moreover, it is important to provide relevant information and discussions with respect to the concepts around the principles which can affect the mental health of an individual. Among various factors which can lead to mental health issues are
- Poverty
- Bereavement
- Imprisonment
- Divorce/separation
- Bullying
- Long term illness
- Gender/sexuality
- Poverty
- Bereavement
- Imprisonment
- Divorce/separation
- Bullying
- Long term illness
- Gender/sexuality
For the most part, you need to have proper information about the topics related to mental health and education. Accordingly, the children associated with the NGO primarily comprised individuals who were of the age of adolescence. Hence they are most prone to these ailments which could affect their mental health. Thus it was our duty to inform the children of threats that could severely damage their mental health.
What to look out for in mental health issues?
As a professional or a concerned individual, there are several aspects you need to make sure of with regard to concepts around the mental health of the individual. Although the overall list may not be exhaustive as a whole. For instance, if you witness sudden withdrawal and loneliness-related symptoms then it could be a strong reason to consider the behavior of children. In the same way, the decline in overall academic performance could be led by the mental health breakdown of the individuals. Besides the sudden aggressive behavior of the children must be properly noted down. Likewise, the changes around the eating or sleeping habits of the individual could play an important role in detecting the issues around mental health which are faced by children altogether.
Importantly when these issues are left undetected it could lead to self-harm behavior. Therefore one needs to take note of the important aspect such as the lack of interest among children and young adults in activities that they initially used to enjoy. Eventually if left untreated it could lead to long-term consequences. Such as the individuals tend to have low self-esteem and confidence issues. Therefore they would have a large amount of communication-related difficulties. Hence it becomes important to learn about the essential aspects related to mental health issues.
Conclusion
During the visit, we found the children were very enthusiastic and interactive. For the most part, we as an organisation are properly committed to the welfare of children. Hence we wish to ensure that we can improve as many lives of impoverished children. Moreover, we are committed towards the teach India movement initiative led by the Government of India. For a better understanding of the topics related to mental health, we also provide educational discoures around mental health in detail. Our tutors are well-trained to provide you with educational assistance towards various psychological and numerical-related subjects.
