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Storytelling project giving pupils a wellbeing boost

St Mary’s P.S. Pomeroy pupils Cara, Matthew, Liam and Savannah pictured with Andrea Doran, Director Verbal Wellbeing; Jackie McCrystal, St Mary’s P.S. Teacher; Tina Hifney, St Mary’s Pomeroy Principal and Housing Executive Good Relations Officer Anne Marie Convery.
St Mary’s P.S. Pomeroy pupils Cara, Matthew, Liam and Savannah pictured with Andrea Doran, Director Verbal Wellbeing; Jackie McCrystal, St Mary’s P.S. Teacher; Tina Hifney, St Mary’s Pomeroy Principal and Housing Executive Good Relations Officer Anne Marie Convery.

Children in schools across Mid Ulster are learning valuable lessons about mental wellbeing and building resilience through a series of interactive storytelling workshops.

Verbal Wellbeing received a Housing Executive Community Cohesion Grant to roll out the scheme across five schools in the area.

Participating schools included St Mary’s Primary School and Queen Elizabeth Primary School in Pomeroy, Pheonix Integrated Primary School and Cookstown Primary School in Cookstown and Sacred Heart Primary School in Rock, Dungannon.

Andrea Doran, Director of Programming and Learning at Verbal, said: 

“Thanks to funding from the Housing Executive we’ve helped each school deliver this important resource to 80 children across four age groups. 

“Our programme consists of six short stories and accompanying worksheets, focused on communication skills, active listening, conflict resolution, cultural awareness, celebrating differences and bullying prevention.

“We’ve seen our project achieve significant outcomes as a good relations tool in pupils’ local communities and it has been a huge success in fostering integration as well as promoting understanding and respect.”

St Mary’s Primary School in Pomeroy is one school that has benefitted from the project.

Principal, Tina Hinfey, said: 

“Our pupils love getting involved with these interactive storytelling sessions which provide a starting point for important discussions around mental health and wellbeing.

“Sessions also helped create a safe space to explore important themes like diversity and positive cultural expression, helping young people become more positive community leaders in the future.”

Anne Marie Convery, the Housing Executive’s Good Relations Office for Mid Ulster, added: 

“Children in all five schools have really thrived thanks to this project and its focus on a range of issues that will have a positive impact on mental health.

“Respecting diversity is also a key theme for pupils taking part, something which helps create better cohesion within communities and has a lasting impact.”