Today Primary 7 children completed their 6-week Building Up: Resilience programme delivered by Jenny from Lisburn YMCA as part of their transition preparations from St Mary’s to Post Primary Education.

The programme uses games and discussions to introduce eight areas of skill which are described as the eight building blocks to resilience. They include believing in our abilities, recognising our feelings, being able to understand other peoples’ feelings, giving ourselves time to think when things happen, identifying the cause of problems, understanding how to stay optimistic, setting achievable goals and asking for help when it is needed.

The programme is designed to support the development of emotional wellbeing and confidence in young people. Pupils who take part in the programme develop strategies and resilient processes to increase their knowledge and ability to cope with change.

The programme itself has been a fantastic success in helping equip our children with the increased confidence, knowledge and skills to develop resilience and how to cope when they are faced with difficult situations.

Many thanks to Jenny and the team from Lisburn YMCA for their delivery of the programme over the last 6 weeks.