Berks & Oxon pre-teens get wellbeing rucksacks
The resilience backpacks have been devised by experts at the university of Reading
Last updated 11th Mar 2024
Pre-teen children in Berkshire and Oxfordshire are being given a backpack filled with items to build mental wellbeing and resilience, as part of a scheme by child mental health experts.
The 'Resilience Rucksack' project will see more than 1,000 Year 6 and 7 pupils (aged 10-12) receive a rucksack they will fill with specially designed wellbeing tools and resources.
These include a comic book, pop song, playing cards, journal, pedometer and more, all focused on promoting four key themes of wellbeing: healthy sleep, physical activity, self-compassion and friendships.
The pioneering project is the culmination of over two years’ work, including a review of the latest scientific evidence, consultations with young people, teachers, parents and mental health experts, and 20 co-production workshops where the unique wellbeing products were developed together with pupils themselves.
The rucksacks will be handed out at 'Resilience Fairs' that will initially take place at eight schools in Reading, Wokingham, Abingdon and Newbury.
Around 1,200 pupils in total will visit themed booths to learn more about the science behind psychological resilience and choose the types of tools they want to take away and try.
Innovative and creative
Professor Stella Chan, Charlie Waller Chair in Evidence-based Psychological Treatments at the University of Reading, who is leading the project, said:
“The transition from primary to secondary school can be an incredibly challenging time for young people’s mental health. By engaging pupils directly in this innovative and creative way, we hope to provide them with fun and evidenced-based tools to support their resilience throughout their school years, and for life.
“A key focus has been not just looking at the research but truly listening to the lived experience of young people themselves through co-production. The resulting products are rooted in science and reflective of what pupils have told us could make the biggest difference.”
Dr Clea Desebrock, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, who has been working closely with young people and schools on this project, said:
“It was wonderful to be able to consult with school pupils who helped us steer the choice, design, and creation of the wellbeing tools; voting in and out tools and their features, advising us on how to make everything engaging and cool, and on how the tools should be introduced at the Fairs. A key theme that emerged was the importance of the children’s own agency in choosing the tools for themselves, which we have made a key feature in the design of the Fairs.”
Partnership in action
The £100,000 initiative has been made possible through major fundraising efforts and the support of partners, including the Charlie Waller Trust and the Jasmine Foundation charities for young people’s mental health. A number of private donors have also generously donated towards the scheme.
The researchers are planning to collect feedback before and after the Resilience Fairs, with more in-depth longitudinal studies planned to evaluate the impact of the tools and overall approach to children’s wellbeing.
For more information about the project click here