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Australian mental health organisation Beyond Blue has rolled out a new campaign to raise awareness of Be You through its ‘Raise your Hand’ campaign to assist teachers and school leaders foster a positive environment and reduce extra work on staff members 'to-do lists'.
Be You, the national mental health in education initiative, offers teachers accredited online professional learning opportunities and online resources to support the mental health of children and young people.
According to Head of Be You Delivery Geri Sumpter, while teachers' try their best to care for students' mental health, they can sometimes be overwhelmed and ill-equipped to help provide impactful solutions.
"These are time-poor educators who already lack the bandwidth to find time for their own mental health and wellbeing and for the mental health and wellbeing of the children and young people in their care," Ms Sumpter told Education Review.
"Teachers often don't know what to do next or where to turn to.
"Be You is here to help and not to add to the problem. The Raise your hand campaign is all about meeting educators' needs, whether they're feeling helpless, whether they have a question or whether they can see something needs to change and want to take some action."
In Australia, multiple reports have shown that teachers and school leaders struggle with their mental health, with more than 50 per cent of educators reporting feeling stressed and burned out on a regular basis.
Ms Sumpter joined Education Review to tell us more about Be You and how it can support teachers and schools raise their hands about mental health and wellbeing in their communities.
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