ACT election: Smiling Mind program could be rolled out to every ACT school

Giselle Cruzado noticed her children Caetano, 6, and Sofia, 10, had more self-control and better focus since they began the mindfulness program.

"Of course it works. I'm totally convinced. I practice mindfulness myself at home and I have been doing it with the kids during the holidays," Mrs Cruzado said.

"It really has a big impact on their behaviour and also I notice they have better control over themselves, over their minds and their focus on doing something.

"There are a lot of benefits."

The Liberal Party has pledged to roll out the Smiling Mind program for all year 3 students across the territory if it wins the next election.

Liberal education spokeswoman Elizabeth Lee said $780,000 would be budgeted for teacher training.

"We know that our young people deal with a lot of challenges in life and we know that we need them to be mentally well and thriving to be the best learners they can be," Ms Lee said.

"If there's anything we can do to support our young people to thrive in the classroom then that's what we'll do."

The program involves teachers receiving training, followed by mindfulness workshops delivered at school.

This is supported by classroom resources and an app with mindfulness activities and meditations designed for teachers and students.

The pledge has been welcomed by ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations president Kirsty McGovern-Hooley.

She said the evidence-based program would help tackle bullying and violence issues at schools by giving students the tools to regulate their emotions.

"They did a trial at Giralang and they found that by implementing that program they were able to reduce the number of overall incidents at the school," Ms McGovern-Hooley said.

"Does mindfulness solve these problems in an immediate fashion? No. But what it does do is it helps kids get into a much calmer state of mind.

"It just really helps kids centring themselves and just being in a better place for learning."

She said the council would like to see all major parties match the Liberal Party's commitment.

READ MORE:

Education Minister Yvette Berry said ACT Labor would be announcing a comprehensive youth mental health package during the election campaign.

"Student well-being is already embedded in the ACT school curriculum and is a key component of the Future of Education Strategy," she said.

"Since 2016, the Government has funded 20 additional school psychologists for public schools.

"The ACT now has 81 psychologists working across our public school system, supporting the diverse needs of students, helping them to engage in learning and develop the skills to lead fulfilling lives."

Ms Berry said more than 50 schools have implemented the Positive Behaviours for Learning program, which focuses on building a positive environment for students to learn good behaviours and social and emotional learning.

Mrs Cruzado said the Smiling Minds program could be challenging for students but the benefits were very clear.

"It is hard in the beginning, of course being 5 years old sitting still can be a little bit of a hard task for them, but eventually I see the big use in that because they can feel and notice some changes in their bodies and their minds."