The Vernal Equinox, which this year falls on 20 March, traditionally marks the beginning of the spring season. It’s when the trees grow new leaves, the first flowers come into bloom, and everything starts to look green and alive after the long darkness of winter. Just as plants need sunlight and water to grow, children need nurturing and support to be healthy and happy.
MedEquip4Kids improves children’s health by funding equipment not available from limited NHS resources. We believe every child deserves the best possible care, and that our minds are as important as our bodies. That’s why last year we launched our new Hummingbird Project to help tackle the crisis in young people’s mental health.
Our trained staff and volunteers are going into schools to deliver a programme of six workshops, which teach students ways to improve their happiness and wellbeing. The course was developed in partnership with psychologists at the University of Bolton and includes topics around Mental Health and Stigma, Happiness and Wellbeing, Resilience and Character Strengths, Growth Mindsets, Hope and Gratitude, and Mindfulness. We chose the Hummingbird as a symbol for our project because it represents the qualities of balance, persistence, resilience, lightness and enjoying the sweetness (nectar) of life.
“I enjoyed the mindfulness exercises. I learnt a lot about keeping happy. I think that it made me be happy. The project makes you know more about mental health problems and how to avoid them.” – Hummingbird student
Our goal now is to raise £10,000 through #FloweryShirtDay, which will allow us to deliver the Hummingbird Project to 500 more children across four schools.