Mental Health May: LiveDifferent is helping young people feel connected
Circles program’s road team is coming to schools across the country to deliver a message of purpose and belonging to students who need mental wellness support
LiveDifferent, a non-profit organization that focuses on inspiring young people to make positive changes in their lives, is encouraging schools and organizations to book their Circles program for the upcoming school semester.
With all the issues that youth are facing—depression, bullying, peer pressure, suicide—there tends to be a common thread: A lack of connection and purpose.
In about 70% of cases, symptoms of mental illness begin before age 18. During this month of May (Mental health awareness month), LiveDifferent invites schools to invest in their students’ well-being and host its Circles mental wellness programming.
Through in-school assemblies and peer-mentorship curriculum, the Circles Program gets to the root cause and helps youth deal with these issues in a positive way. Circles helps young people explore important values, build stronger relationships and get activated in kindness—leaving them more compassionate, resilient and hopeful.
“At LiveDifferent, we believe that young people have the power to make real positive change in our world,” says Johnny Henderson, Director of School and Community Programs.
The Circles Program is designed to give students an opportunity to explore topics such as resilience, empathy and altruism. It includes interactive activities such as group discussions and compassion projects that help students develop strong relationships with one another while learning about teamwork and empathy. The program also encourages students to take ownership of their mental health by creating action plans for managing stressors such as bullying or anxiety.
“Our goal is to help them build a sense of purpose while giving them practical ways to make a difference—our starting place is helping build meaningful and authentic peer-to-peer relationships,” says Henderson.
LiveDifferent is calling educators to book for the 2023/2024 school year. Schools can book a one-hour assembly and choose to include additional breakout sessions or book an entire LiveDifferent Day. Learn more about Circles at LiveDifferent.com/circles or watch this short video to see Circles in action: https://youtu.be/gciw2-AiN8A
About LiveDifferent
As a Canadian charity since 2000, LiveDifferent helps young people explore and instill important values, build stronger relationships and get activated in kindness within their communities and abroad. To date, LiveDifferent has reached over 1.7 million students across Canada, engaged more than 6,000 volunteers who have helped raise funds and personally helped construct over 590 homes for families. LiveDifferent’s Road Team also travels to remote Indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba and the Northwest Territories to facilitate its life-promotion programming called Circles. To learn more about LiveDifferent, visit livedifferent.com