By Lucia Yepes-Puerto
Every year on October 10, the world unites to observe World Mental Health Day—a time to promote the importance of mental wellbeing, combat stigma, and provide global support to those in need. Initiated by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992, this day serves as a reminder that mental health is something that affects everyone, everywhere.
The theme set for this year, “Mental health in humanitarian emergencies”, underlines the difficulties of meeting mental and psychological needs during major crises. It’s a deeply relevant focus, given the ongoing conflicts and global issues we face today. Often in times of crisis, mental health and stability are neglected or overlooked as the priority is to ensure physical safety. However, both are equally vital to overall wellbeing, recovery, and resilience.
Here in La Chat, we’re taking part in the initiative as well. Our very own Student Council (StuCo) wellbeing committee has organized various events throughout the week to mark the importance of World Mental Health Day and provide valuable information, aiming to be a lasting aid to the school community.
Beginning with an informative presentation on Tuesday, the students learnt about adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms and how to establish healthy habits in order to manage stress and school life. This was followed by a short video on effective breathing techniques to help regulate anxiety, courtesy of Mr. Cant, the head of the PE department.
On Friday, the wellbeing committee organized the “Wellness Tree”: a place where students could write down positive comments on paper leaves, eventually forming a tree. Located right outside the cafeteria, students are able to participate and observe this action easily.
Lastly, the committee tackled the more serious aspects of student and teenager’s mental health. Often due to academic and social pressures, common issues including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and behavioral issues, are significant mental health challenges teenagers face. To address this, an information board was permanently installed in the same area as the wellness tree. It contains helpful information on how to spot signs of mental health disorders in friends, siblings or even yourself, and what to do, as well as reminders of adaptive vs maladaptive coping mechanisms. Thanks to the wellbeing committee’s efforts, this will be a useful and accessible tool to all students.
Be sure to stop by the Wellness Tree and add a little positivity of your own! If you ever notice a friend or sibling struggling and aren’t sure how to help, take a moment to check out the info board for some guidance. And most importantly, don’t hesitate to reach out to the wellbeing committee (student-run) or our school psychologist if you ever need support.
Shoutout to Willem Pickering, Amber Horgan, Eva Carvalho Boeuf, Simran Wadhwa, Ida Widstam, and Lucia Yepes-Puerto of the Wellbeing Committee for their efforts.
If you need support, contact…
Y12 students, heads of the StuCo wellbeing committee:
- Willem Pickering, willem.pickering@learning.ecolint.ch
- Eva Carvalho, eva.carvalho@learning.ecolint.ch
School psychologist:
- Danai Orlandatou, danai.orlandatou@ecolint.ch
More information…
- Resource Board – StuCo Wellbeing – Containing further information on spotting mental health issues, stats, and hotlines + useful links. This information is also on the previously mentioned board outside the cafeteria.
Sources:
- https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2025/777934/EPRS_ATA(2025)777934_EN.pdf
- https://unitedgmh.org/world-mental-health-day/#:~:text=World%20Mental%20Health%20Day%202025,health%20in%20catastrophes%20and%20emergencies.
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response