Following the success in February 2022, BIG Alliance's mental health school workshops are back! It's a great opportunity for volunteers to facilitate discussions in schools to help reduce the stigma around talking about mental health, and get children to think about how mental health can be improved within and outside of the school environment.

NB: Please be advised that the workshops on 3rd May will take place at a Special Educational Needs school. Ideally, volunteers at this session will have some experience of working with people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities, though this isn't essential.

Volunteers from previous years said:

“Talking about mental health is something I think we should all be doing a lot more of and I wish I’d learned more about at school. I signed up to the Time to Talk opportunity so that I could help facilitate that discussion. It was very rewarding hearing the children discuss what made them feel happy and safe and the support to facilitate the discussions from Marija gave me a lot of confidence. I’d definitely recommend this."

"It was great to get out of my normal day-to-day routine and comfort zone and talk to kids about something that is important for all of us. It was fantastic to hear the children’s point of view and to know that I contributed in having them think about mental wellbeing."

Key points regarding this opportunity:

- Sessions will be delivered to primary school pupils (Years 3-6) at Islington-based schools

- Each session will be facilitated in teams of around 3 volunteers

- A full session plan and guidance document will be sent to you in advance

- Volunteers are asked to deliver two or three workshops in different classes (you don't need to book separate tickets for this!)

- Each session will last approximately 40 minutes

- Sessions will be held during lessons within school time

- The class teacher will be present at all times

- Delivering to 20-30 pupils in any given class

- During the sessions, pupils will split off into smaller groups and then come together at the end of the class to share their thoughts and findings

-This is a half-day volunteering opportunity with sessions running either in the morning (between 9.30am-12.30pm) or afternoon (between 12.30-3.30pm). Exact times for the workshops will be sent to you upon booking.

- There will be no requirement to take notes or produce any materials before, during, or after the discussions.

A member of the BIG Alliance will hold a briefing call with the volunteers ahead of the sessions to run through the workshop plan and will support the volunteers at the workshops.

Volunteer learning and development outcomes:

Develop the ability to facilitate discussions with large groups
Develop questioning and listening skills
Use pre-existing skills and experiences in new settings

If you have any questions, please contact Marija Mikne at marija.mikne@thebigalliance.org.uk.

"Time to Talk" Primary School Wellbeing Workshops