This week, the focus was on helping Imagineers understanding the concept of mental health. Just like we all have our physical health, we all have mental health.
When we have good mental health this means we can think, feel and act in a way that allows us to enjoy life and deal with the challenges it presents. When we have a mental health problem then there is something happening in our lives to make us feel stress or that we are not coping day-to-day, this might make it difficult to do things like go to school or be with other people.
Here are the Imagineers characters and their comics illustrating realistic scenarios that a child might find themselves in. They show a situation where a child’s mental health is at risk because of circumstances and how they feel.
Josh, 9
His parents don’t spend time with him and his sister because they have to work so much. He feels sad, annoyed and left out because his friends at school do fun things with their families.
Billy, 10
His gran is really unwell and so her mom is staying with her a lot, leaving Billy alone at home. Nobody at school knows about it. He has a sore tummy all the time. It is hard to concentrate in class.
Gaby, 13
She gets slagged off by her mum. Sometimes it’s funny but sometimes she reacts, and arguments happen. She is lonely and feels angry all the time.
Joe, 13
Joe’s mum has been stressed a lot lately because of the bills and life in her general, so she has been losing her temper and hitting Joe and calling him names. His dad has left his mum to do everything on her own and she feels lonely. She smokes a lot. She now has to go to hospital because of this. Joe is worried for his mum because she is sick. He’s worried she might die.
Chloe 9
Her parents split up and keep arguing in front of her. At school her teacher doesn’t make her feel welcome in class, she shouts at her when she isn’t feeling good. She feels emotional and cries. She is worried about who she will live with and she feels left out in class.
