Mounting awareness and concern surrounding the mental health of children impacted by gun violence and sudden loss of primary caregivers have increased the need to provide tangible ways to help children process, cope and recover from the sudden changes which may cause trauma. To the Ministry of Education Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) embarked on a project to establish a sensory corner for primary schoolers in each of the eight (8) education districts.
A sensory corner or area is a place where children can engage in sensory experiences that calm or stimulate them so they can function at their highest ability in school. These corners assist in the provision of psychosocial support services to help students who are facing difficult circumstances or who have witnessed acts of violence, connect with their emotions and build resilience. These areas include a quiet space where children can retreat for a few minutes with some sensory equipment. A such, district guidance counsellors have been working feverishly to provide this intervention and have welcomed UNICEF support on this initiative.
On Monday 20th March, 2023 a handover was made to the District Guidance Counsellors through the Coordinator for Guidance Counselling and the Office of the Deputy Permanent Secretary. The Ministry continues to encourage parents and the general public to assist in putting a stop to violence and in helping to protect the mental health of the nation’s children.