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For a remarkable 9 weeks spanning across term 2, twenty-two Year 10’s and 12’s gathered on Wednesday afternoons to engage in activities which trained students to provide mental health guidance for students in Sha Tin College. Led by Ms. Mitchell, school counsellor, and the wellbeing department, the Peer supporter programme aims to improve the availability and accessibility of support by encouraging students to learn the essentials of comforting other students.
“This programme is a great way to develop the wellbeing programme at Sha Tin College,” commented Ms. Mitchell. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with enthusiastic and supportive students who want to help support the school community.” She further notes that the difference from the beginning and end of the course for each peer supporter is “incredibly rewarding”, but seeing the impact on the school community is an even more “proud moment” and clearly shows the importance of listening and being empathetic towards others.
By introducing simple yet beneficial techniques to approach other peers, such as understanding non-verbal cues, recognising the best way to ask questions, avoiding roadblocks and learning how to avoid making others feel uncomfortable, the course certainly changed the mindset of each student going forward. Katie Lam (10G1) shares that “participating in the programme was a great experience, [as it] provided valuable insight into addressing the most significant barriers of communication.” Whilst often overlooked, simple modifications to dialogue can immediately change the nature of a conversation. This was emphasised throughout the programme in a variety of group activities and exercises, resulting in a strikingly evident change in our behaviours.
Furthermore, the programme also provided a unique opportunity to form new connections with other peers and participate in discussions that put critical thinking to the test. “We were tasked with learning how to handle real life situations through role plays and partner activities under pressure,” mentioned Linda Shin(10G1), “Although tiring, I learnt a lot about what the wellbeing department does to help students”. Additionally, Kate Ho (10X2) also notes that after the peer supporter programme, she has definitely “paid more attention to [her] surroundings,” and applied the numerous skills that she has learnt throughout the programme to “help [her] out in [her] daily life”. This highlights the incredible relevancy of this course, granting students the ability to address mental health issues even beyond a school setting.
Overall, the Peer supporter programme was a fantastic experience for the students involved and certainly provided new methods of supporting and nurturing a safe space for peers within the school community. The success of this year’s course for its second iteration provides reassurance for an increase in wellbeing initiatives at Sha Tin College in the years to come.
Written by: Izzy Ng
Edited by: Zihan Liu
Photos by: Lynn Mitchell (School Counsellor)
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