Last week, Natasha Devon, a mental health, inclusion and diversity campaigner, visited ISA to talk to the community about wellbeing as part of the school’s first-ever Wellbeing Awareness Week.

ISA is committed to highlighting the importance of leading a balanced life, and students at ISA learn to make informed choices, manage challenges and set priorities, all valuable life skills to prepare them for their next steps. To start the new school year with this in mind, Debbie O’Hara, our Adult Learning Coordinator, organised a wellbeing week for our community to highlight the importance of staying aware of our mental health and overall wellbeing. She invited Natasha to engage with the community through various sessions over the course of the week.

Natasha held workshops for students in grades 5-12 on a variety of topics, including stress and anxiety, social media and regulating our relationship with technology and exam preparation and study skills that nurture our mental health. In addition, Natasha also discussed body image with the parent community and hosted a staff session on wellbeing, self-care and the importance of setting boundaries.

Reflecting on her week at ISA, Natasha said: “all the audiences I spoke to were really engaged and enthusiastic. I’m really happy to have been invited to the school and hope the messages resonated. I’ll be sending follow-up resources to ISA staff so key themes can be reiterated throughout the academic year.”

Wellbeing week was an opportunity for our community to reflect on and reevaluate their own wellbeing, self-care and mental health practices. Debbie said: “Inviting Natasha Devon to speak to our ISA student, staff and parent communities started important conversations about wellbeing and mental health. We help build a community of care when we engage in shared experiences on topics that speak to our values and beliefs. We also deepen our commitment to creating a culture of thinking when these engagements enlighten us collectively.”