Mental health and wellbeing has always been part of everyday life, but it used to be a taboo subject. Something that no one wanted to talk about. But now, it is a subject that is breaking out of the shadows and being discussed openly throughout society, the media, and in all walks of life. Did you know that nearly half of New Zealanders will suffer from symptoms of mental illness at some point in their lives? So, if you haven’t been through it yourself, you will know many people that have.
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week runs from September the 21st to September the 27th and is a great reminder to us all about the importance of promoting and supporting wellbeing in the workplace throughout the year. You can find out more about Mental Health Awareness week by visiting this link: https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/home/our-work/category/16/mental-health-awareness-week
Wellbeing & Wellness at Bear Park
We are continually working with external wellness practitioners, our amazing staff and our community to ensure wellbeing is cared for at Bear Park.
Creating A Safe Space
Every team member at Bear Park has a responsibility to create a positive space. Our leaders have a responsibility to establish a culture of understanding, compassion and support.
Here are some ways in which we do this:
– A zero-tolerance policy for workplace bullying and harassment.
– We have free confidential and professional help services, which are available when needed.
– We provide training to managers giving them the tools to support staff with any mental health issues.
– We stay in touch with our teams to let them know that we are always available and open to talk to in confidence.
– We talk openly about our desire to have a mentally healthy workspace and ask for team feedback on how to achieve this.
Investing in Wellness
Our wellness programme offers fun and informative sessions focussed on your holistic wellbeing. You are invited to attend a 2-hour evening session, led by an external wellness practitioner. For example our recent ‘Thriving Through Change’ workshop with Wellbeing Workshop. We also offer financial health checks, flu vaccinations, professional counselling and extra sick leave.
Community Values
Bear Park stands for kindness, empathy and generosity. Each year, as a whole group, we fundraise for a specific charitable organisation, involving all of our children, parents, whanaua and teachers in the process. The community is a great space for parent support and we pride ourselves for our on-going involvement with parents.
Some important links below we’d like to share with you:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/
