Brief description:
The PMA schools curriculum pack is a truly unique resource for mental health education in secondary schools. Developed with a range of partners, including East Glasgow schools, teachers have been trained to deliver it in Personal and Social Education classes to thousands of pupils each year.
Aims:
To raise awareness and engage young people in thinking about their own mental health and the mental health of those around them, promoting early help seeking and self help strategies and reducing stigma.
What’s happening:
The pack has a huge impact locally and is in use in every secondary school in East Glasgow with PMA training and supporting teachers. Following the success in East Glasgow, the reach of the schools’ pack now spreads across Scotland including schools in Shetland, Dumfries and Galloway, and closer to home in East Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire and Ayrshire and Arran.
The schools pack has also garnered international interest with schools in Andalucia, Southern Spain now delivering the lessons as well as a human rights project in Georgia, Eastern Europe.
The curriculum pack is available online.
Evaluation and feedback:
The lessons have been evaluated in five schools and demonstrate positive impact. The study used qualitative and quantitative approaches and was presented at the world psychiatric association international conference in 2009. It is being written up for an international journal article.
Quote from pupil participant in evaluation focus group:
“Because we’ve seen that video, if a friend came to us you’d stick by them more because…. you need your friends. So you try and help them and kinda just be there for them if they need you.”
Partners (in developing the pack):
- Positive Mental Attitudes (PMA)
- ‘see me’ the national anti-stigma campaign
- Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH)
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Penumbra
- Highland User Group (HUG)
- National Schizophrenia Fellowship (NSF)
- Glasgow City Council Education Improvement Service
- Glasgow City Council Culture and Leisure Youth Services
- Glasgow City Council Educational Psychology
- Lochend Community High School
- Bannerman High School
- Eastbank Academy
- Smithycroft Secondary School
- Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Child and Youth Health Promotion Team
- Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
