BCC developing mental health charter for students, staff

The Barbados Community College (BCC) is developing a new mental health charter to assist students and faculty.

BCC Chairman Dr Allyson Leacock gave that promise at the planting of a tree in a space that will be a new quiet area for students, with officials from the Rotaract Club of South Barbados and the Rotary Club of Barbados South.

She told Barbados TODAY that the board thought it was important to create a green and quiet space at the ‘Eyrie’, Howell’s Cross Road, St Michael campus, and though the mental health charter is still being drafted, the mounting pressures on students along their educational journey can not be ignored.

“Students, staff and those who are in the environs of a college are dealing with multiple challenges at once. You know the college is rolling out courses, yes, but we are also being challenged to ensure that we are cutting-edge and ready for the future…. That adds a layer of stress, and it is important for us to recognise that people really cannot flourish if they feel stressed.

“While traditionally we’ve seen it as maybe wasting time if you pause, the pause is important for people to regenerate and actually be able to give of their very best,” Leacock said.

She insisted that every educational institution must take mental health issues into account in order to maximise students’ academic potential. 

“We see this as really important if the college is going to be ready for the future. It means that we prioritise mental health, and we focus on mindset and skill sets together for the complete student [and] the complete staff member.

“Therefore, to have a space where people know that they can come and be serene for a moment, just regroup, just pause in a hectic day, is going to be important to maximise people delivering their very best.”

The BCC chairman also highlighted the need for parents to pay attention to the pressures their children may be experiencing.

“Don’t assume that a child is a teenager and does not have bills to pay, that a child does not feel anxiety, that a child does not feel stressed, because children respond to things differently and often quietly, in a way that parents will not know. That harm can be happening internally.

“There was an era where you were told ‘suck it up and get on with it’, and that still persists. So tears and being fragile and feeling vulnerable have been equated with weakness. Really it’s about mindfulness and being comfortable enough in your skin to acknowledge your vulnerability so that you can get help, [and] heal so that you can deliver better,” Leacock said. (SB)