Hope - May 2021

Our Wellness Wednesday for the month of May focuses on Hope. This is an extension of the It Starts with Hope theme that we had for Mental Health Week (May 3-7) and will be one the primary themes of our Division Priority #1 - improving student mental health and wellness.

Our Mental Health team (Student Advocacy Counsellors and SFSK Wellness Coaches) will be focusing on Hope with students this month. The resources below can be used by families to learn more about hope and the things they can do to support others.

We also encourage you to check out our Signs of Hope engagement on our Engage NLPS site. There are many ideas for things you can do to spread hope in your community, as well as an area where you can share your Stories of Hope and read stories submitted by others.

Hope Resources

• Fostering hope: How to build resilience in youth (Kids Help Phone)
  Learn about hope and fostering hope and resilience in young people.
  
  
• Hopeful Things Others Want to Hear (Hope Studies Central)
  Learn some language and phrases you can use when talking about hope.
  
  
• Hopeful Things to Say to a Child (Hope Studies Central)
  
  
• Hopeful Things to Say to Yourself (Hope Studies Central)
  
  
• How to Find Hope Without Having the Solution to Absolutely Everything (Hope Studies Central)
  
  
• Hope Rocks: How one student is spreading positivity in her rural community (Education NC)
  
  
• Hopeful Minds (iFred.org)
  Free curriculum to teach hope to youth.
  
  
• Hope for Wellness Help Line (Government of Canada)
  The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada.
  
  
• Hope by CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
  Hope by CAMH is a free smartphone app that provides suicide prevention information, tools and crisis resources to support and guide individuals when they are experiencing thoughts of suicide.

Hope Activities

• Let’s Capsule It! (Successful Families, Successful Kids)
  
  
• Hope Skills (Successful Families, Successful Kids)
  These skills help us calm our brains, to reactivate our upstairs brains. Remember when we let our downstairs brain take over, we are not our best selves. When the downstairs brain is in control we feel things like anger, sadness, disappointment and hopelessness. When our upstairs brain is in control we feel things like happiness, motivation, and HOPE!
  
  
• Hope Symbols (Successful Families, Successful Kids)
  
  
• Leaving My Mark (Plant Love Grow) - Elementary School
  
  
• Why I Can Do This (understood.org) - Middle School
  
  
• Two Stories (Character Lab) - High School
  
  

Journaling Prompts

Please note that grade levels are included below only as a guide. Feel free to complete any prompts that you feel are applicable to you or your children. Prompts can be completed individually or used to start a family conversation.

• Grade K to 3
  • When I grow up I want to…
    
    
• Grade 4 to 6
  • What would it be like to celebrate something every day?
  • What can you teach other people?
  • Draw a time you felt happy
  • What does hope mean to you?
    
    
• Grade 7 to 9
  •  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
  • Describe your best day ever
  • What age are you excited to reach?
  • Five years from now
    
    
• Grade 10 to 12
  
  • When are you at your best?
  • 10 things that make you smile
  • What are you looking forward to?
  • What is one topic you need to learn more about to live a more fulfilling life?
    
    
• Adults
  • List 4 things you are looking forward to
  • Name 10 things on your bucket list. What do you need to do to accomplish the rest?
  • What do you think is possible?
  • What three wishes would you like to be granted?

More Mental Health and Wellness Resources are available on our website, including COVID-19 resources, Successful Families, Successful Kids resources for families, and our Mindful Minutes videos!