Festival will include interschool competitions for Drama/Street Play, Singing, Photography, Ad/Ad Film Making, Dance, Extempore, and Slam Poetry, in line with the theme of ‘Resilience’

Mumbai : The Aditya Birla World Academy (ABWA), one of Mumbai’s leading international schools, and Mpower, India’s trusted mental healthcare initiative both parts of Aditya Birla Education Trust, have come together to host India’s first student-led, inter-school, mental health festival, ‘The Happy Place’ on 7th and 8th October 2022 at ABWA School in Tardeo, Mumbai.  The festival this year would mark its 4th year of running and will focus on the theme of ‘Resilience’. The purpose of the fest is to create awareness about Mental health amongst students and give them important life skills based on the theme. Schools and students can participate in ‘The Happy Place’ by filling the form

The festival will comprise a series of competitions including Drama/Street Play, Singing, Photography, Ad/Ad Film Making, Dance, Extempore and Slam Poetry, in line with the theme of ‘Resilience’. Wellness workshops are also going to be organised, which will be open to all ages, and are aimed at creating mental health awareness in a fun way. Applications to enter the competitions will end on 30th September 2022. Students of Grades 9th to 12th can register as individuals, in the form of an independent group, or can even represent their respective school/college.

Speaking about the festival, Mrs Radhika Sinha, Principal, Aditya Birla World Academy, said, “Over the past few years, the narratives and conversations around mental health have exploded, especially after the pandemic. And while this is a sign of progress, there is so much more that needs to be done, especially for students who are highly prone to mental health issues, such as eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Schools and educational institutions, thus, have to be at the forefront of helping children to develop a healthy understanding of mental health and how to cope with such issues. This is why The Aditya Birla World Academy is proud to spearhead the mental health movement among school students through a novel initiative such as The Happy Place. No other school in India has hosted such an event before and we eagerly look forward to students participating in this unique event.”

India’s National Education Policy 2020 focuses on the mental wellbeing of students as an integral component of holistic development, given that it is important for ensuring performance both during and beyond school life. However, students are also highly vulnerable to a variety of factors that contribute to mental health issues, such as examination pressure, poor body image, bullying, gender/sexual identity, and peer pressure, among others. It has also been shown previously that the mental health situation in a country has a positive correlation with its economic growth. Mental health issues are extremely prevalent in India, with a pre-pandemic study showing that 1 in 7 people in India suffer from some form of mental health disorder, a situation that has worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown. Consequently, it is imperative for the country to put greater emphasis on the mental health and wellbeing of students, to create confident and well-adjusted leaders of tomorrow who can help in building a robust and prosperous India.

Aditya Birla World Academy and Mpower are pioneering the domain of mental health for India’s youth. Through various initiatives such as The Happy Place, as well as Mind Matters – which focuses on integrating mental health into the school curriculum, both organisations work to drive awareness about mental health among children, and help them devise strategies to deal with their issues.