Lower Primary Programs
Upper Primary Programs
Youth Choices Programs
Introducing Not Okay: tackling mental health and wellbeing in children
Sam is not okay, but he doesn’t know why. His family and friends know something is wrong, but they don’t know how to help. He’s popular, sporty, smart – but now he’s avoiding his friends, quit the football team, and started skipping school. What happens when the foundations of Sam’s life begin to crack and crumble?
Developed in partnership with Telethon, Not Okay commences with the screening of a short film that follows Sam as he experiences depression and mental ill-health for the first time. By addressing the concepts of mental health and wellbeing, communication and help seeking behaviours, and how to recognise emotions and develop reflective practices, the program empowers upper primary school students in years 4 to 6 to explore and understand the early signs of mental illness, as well as:
- recognise the signs of mental ill-health in themselves, peers, and family
- appropriately support those in need and encourage help seeking behaviours
- seek support for themselves and where to find it
- destigmatise mental illness in their communities
Through guided, empathy-driven collaboration, students are encouraged to examine emotions, manage and maintain their relationships, and discover how to give and seek support. Along the way, they build critical thinking skills, resilience, and the confidence to destigmatise conversations about mental health in their communities.
Not Okay doesn’t end with storytelling. Using interactive Forum Theatre techniques, facilitators transform students from passive viewers into active participants, or spect-actors. Students replay real-life scenarios, workshopping ways to problem solve and make decisions that lead to different, more positive outcomes. Together, they unpack Sam’s journey, reflect on their own experiences, and learn to recognise the early signs of mental ill-health.
As with all Constable Care in-school programs, Not Okay is supported by a teacher resource pack and evaluation kit, ensuring these vital lessons continue well beyond the classroom.