Using Buddy Benches to improve mental health 用 “好友長凳” 改善兒童心理健康

本集內容

學習要點

有關 “mental health 心理健康” 的詞匯

邊看邊答

How many children have actually used the Buddy Bench?

文字稿

This is what’s known as a ‘Buddy’ or ‘Friendship Bench’. They’re needed because playgrounds can be lonely places sometimes. And these benches can help pupils feeling lonely to find a friend.

這就是所謂的 “好友長凳” 或 “友誼長椅”。它們為人所需，因為操場有時會是個孤獨的地方。而這些長凳能幫感到孤獨的小學生們找到朋友。

Benches like this have been around for a while now in many schools. But in Ireland, they are trying to do something a bit different with them. This school in Cork in the south of Ireland is the 247th to get one from a social enterprise called Buddy Bench Ireland that doesn’t just provide schools with benches, it also runs special workshops with trained child psychiatrists.

這類長椅早已出現在很多學校裡。但在愛爾蘭，人們在試著用它做不一樣的事。這所位於愛爾蘭南部城市科克的學校是第247個從社會企業 “好友凳愛爾蘭” 拿到凳子的學校，該企業不僅提供長凳，還與受過專門訓練的兒童精神病專傢共同開辦特別講習班。

They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental well-being. They talk about the importance of being aware of your feelings and those of others.

他們把坐在長凳上作為和孩子們談論心理健康狀況的契機。他們談論意識到自身及他人感受的重要性。

Judith Ashton, co-founder, Buddy Bench Ireland
The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it symbolises – friendship, inclusion, listening to each other and the most important thing, that it’s important to express feelings.

朱迪斯·阿什頓聯合創始人好友凳愛爾蘭
“孩子們得明白這把長凳的特別之處是什麼，它象征著什麼：友誼、包容、互相傾聽，還有最重要的一點，就是表達感受的重要性。”

But do children actually use the bench? It’s something an independent academic study has been looking at.

但是，孩子們真的會去用它嗎？這是一項獨立的學術研究所關註的問題。

Sinead Mcgilloway, Maynooth University
We found that 40% of the children told us that they had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child was sitting on the bench. So, certainly there doesn’t appear to be any issues around stigma.

希奈德·麥吉洛維梅努斯大學
“40%的孩子告訴我們，他們在研究期間確實使用瞭 ‘好友長凳’。超過90%的孩子說他們會和坐在長凳上的其他孩子交談。所以，顯然他們並不認為這有什麼不光彩的。”

Children’s mental health at school is increasingly a concern in many countries. In Ireland, they’re hoping these benches will not only tackle issues like social isolation and bullying, but also give a future generation the confidence to open up about their feelings.

在許多國傢，兒童在校內的心理健康日益受到關註。在愛爾蘭，人們希望這些長凳不僅能解決社會隔離和欺凌等問題，還能給未來的一代敞開心扉談論自己感受的自信。

詞匯

psychiatrists 精神病醫生

mental well-being 心理健康

inclusion 包容

express feelings 表達感受

stigma 恥辱感

你知道嗎？

Dozens of schools in England are giving students lessons in mindfulness to improve behaviour and health. This is a way to teach them to stop, be in the moment, be aware of their surroundings and relax.

英格蘭幾十所學校正在給學生上有關正念認知的課，以改善他們的行為和健康。這是一種教他們停下來、活在當下、瞭解周圍環境並放松身心的方法。