The Ministry of Health and Wellness, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information recently hosted a Child Conversation Wellness Bench Lyme event to educate teenagers on stress management and prioritizing their mental well-being.

The event was hosted at the Holiday Haven in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, where students from various schools were engaged in a number of activities designed to promote mental wellness.

The initiative was championed by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health, highlighting a profound dedication to addressing the mental health exigencies of young individuals.

In a video message, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, urged attendees to prioritize mental health and reassured them they were not alone.

“In the face of pressures from social media, family, and peer expectations, as well as navigating school life among others, you should know that you are not alone. There is help available, if you need it,” he stated.

Dr. Tufton encouraged the adolescents not to fear expressing their emotions and to seek out a safe environment or individual in whom they can confide. He emphasized that discussing one’s feelings should not be perceived as a sign of weakness.

The Minister further encouraged the students to utilize the wellness bench, which was on-site and served as a poignant emblem of the promotion, creation, and preservation of safe spaces for young individuals, as well as others in society, in the pursuit of their mental well-being.

For her part, the Regional Director of the Education Ministry for Region Three, Karlene Segree, also praised both ministries for their partnership in orchestrating such a significant event.

She emphasized that the education ministry stands for children’s right and condemned violence against children on the island.

“We stand with our children, without the children, we have no school, without the children, we have no jobs. We are condemning all the acts that have been taking place in recent times against children, against our boys and against our girls across Jamaica,” she said.

“Children’s lives matter and as you know, we are working with the national agenda, Transforming Education for National Development (TREND). We will not be able to achieve it if we destroy the lives of our young people, our children, our boys and our girls, our adolescents. We want to see you thrive. We want to see you grow. We want to be a part of your success,” Ms. Segree stated