The Blackville Mango Health & Wellness committee recently hosted a Wellness Day workshop for students in grades 8-12 at Blackville School.  The event was held on Friday, May 12.

The workshops focus was to show youth how to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. The students learned how to relieve stress, practice healthy living, and improve their overall health, including their mood and energy.

The students spent the day engaging with several presenters who led various sessions such as Gym  Fitness, Anxiety, and Nutrition.

Students took part in colouring mandalas that helps remove focus from negative emotions and habits, and channel them into a safe and productive form. It has many other positive effects on mental health, and is the main reason for the surge in popularity of “adult colouring books.”

They also learned the benefits of using essential oils, such as lavender, peppermint, or tea tree oil and how they can have relaxing and soothing effects, can help skin conditions, and even help counteract cold and flu symptoms.

A session was held in the gym where they learned about fitness and different methods that they can use to relieve stress.

They learned about various exercises and workouts that are not very strenuous or excessive, but are fun and easy for anyone to take part in. The students went through each exercise with their presenter, and tried them all together, making for a fun and effective workout.

The students experienced a full morning of learning how to keep themselves happier and healthier, and were encouraged to try and practice more of these healthy habits on their own time. The students were all enthusiastic, and the presenters were very engaged with the students. They helped to guide the students through easy but effective ways to improve their mental and physical health.

The workshop presenters were Wendy Vickers, Gloria Kelly, April Jardine, Chanelle Melanson, Christy Jamieson, Dr. Tiffany Keenan and Danny Underhill.

View photos from the event below. Click an image to enlarge.

Article by Veronica Pond and Paulina Sturgeon (modified)
Photos by Jenna Coulter and April Jardine