Do we only draw our inspiration from God, our Gurus, Heroes and Celebrities? Can a teenager studying in school be an inspiration? The answer is yes, if we look at the great example of a teenage schoolgirl Apoorvi Bharatram. When she was just 16 and a 11-th grader in 2019 at The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, Gurgaon, Apoorvi founded ‘Happiness Project’ with another student, Nakshh Kohli, to work towards the attainment of balanced mental health among children, in accordance with the new Mental Health Care Act 2017, which has come into force from July 7, 2018.
The project aims to work with children belonging to disadvantaged categories, with no access to counsellors or trained medical practitioners. Through a greater awareness of mental health issues and general social support for such children, the happiness project aims to achieve effective prevention and assistance.
“We believe that safeguarding adolescent mental health begins with schools and teachers. Educating these critical stakeholders about mental health can help adolescents enhance their social skills, improve their problem-solving capacity and gain self-confidence―which in turn may alleviate mental health problems and discourage risky and violent behaviours,” the mission of Happiness Project states. The project even has a basic website http://happinessproject.co.in/ to propagate the need for sound mental health in schools.
The website says, “According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders worldwide. Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14. If untreated, these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Children with mental disorders face major challenges with stigma, isolation and discrimination.”
Happiness Project is specially targeted at government schools, which do not have resources and counsellors to deal with mental health problems. Happiness Project has conducted surveys in seven schools, reaching more than 3000 students, helping school managements become aware of mental health issues.
“I have seen so many of my friends and family members suffer from mental illnesses,” says Apoorvi. “My sister went through mental depression for three years,” she reveals. The only reason she recovered was a strong support system and a really positive environment. “This got me thinking about students in government schools. I know they really don’t have a supportive environment. They don’t have anyone whom they can go talk to,” she said.
In her school, there are two counsellors and regular workshops are held on managing stress and growing up, and the teachers, too, are trained to deal with mental illnesses, whereas in government schools, there is only one counsellor for ten schools. Apoorvi also realised that mental health was not a subject that everyone was cut out to handle, and there were many technical aspects to it. So before beginning work, she found a mentor to make sure that she truly was capable both intellectually and emotionally to work in the field. Only when her mentor and she were convinced did she venture into the field.
Apoorvi through her video on Youtube explains what her project is about. She was selected to be a part of Ashoka’s “Everyone a Changemaker” initiative. Ashoka is the world’s largest network of leading social entrepreneurs and ranks among the top 5 NGOs of the world. This platform gave her a chance to connect with like-minded individuals and scale her project. “Being a change maker has really helped me; first of all it has helped me understand what I want to do,” she said. “Working with children and understanding the challenges they are facing, made me realise that there is a real dearth of psychologists in our country and made me understand that I want to get into this profession to help children,” she said.
She added: “Being a change maker has given me so many qualities that I didn’t have before. I have learnt empathy, because I have been interacting with so many people. Trying to relate to their stories has taught me so much. You need to be sensitive towards them and their feelings so that you can have a better relationship.”
The Happiness Project follows a simple three-step model to help gauge the happiness quotient of students in government schools. Then the same data is used to train teachers to become para-counsellors.
The mental health test collects data on issues like depression, anxiety, substance abuse and body-image issues. Confronting teachers with this data helps in convincing them of the seriousness of the problem and the need for remedial measures. Partnerships with NGOs is necessary to help equip and upskill teachers and administrators with the tools needed to address mental health issues in schools. The Happiness Project hopes to convince the government of the need for mental health professionals and regular training of teachers in all government schools.
Apoorvi’s story shows that wisdom doesn’t come with age but when you really feel the pain and suffering of others.
Watch the video below on Apoorvi talking on mental health issues in schools
Oswald Pereira, a senior journalist, has also written eight books, including The Newsroom Mafia, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion and Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories. Oswald is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and practises Kriya Yoga.
More Stories by Oswald Pereira
(Apoorvi Bharatram and school pics courtesy http://happinessproject.co.in)
Nice to see kids taking up such important issues and making a difference in life of others for the better.
Yes, Nita, this problem begin with young teens and it is best that other senior students in schools are made aware of mental health issues. These issues can be corrected so easily with the right counselling given at that time. Unfortunately, we don’t want to confront such issues and tend to brush them under the carpet.
Very often, we are not even aware of them, and often dismiss them as idiosyncrasies, when they are actually mental health problems.
Amazing, all teenagers should follow her inspiration instead of hero worshiping celebs ! 🙂