Parents Step Into World Of Gaming And Cosplay As Part Of Community Based Mental Wellness Programme

Singapore, 21 July 2012: To empower parents by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to nurture the mental well-being of their children, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is introducing an array of programmes as part of the 'Healthy Mind, Healthy Community' Mental Well-being Initiative being launched at Nee Soon East Community Club (CC) today.

2. The Cyber Wellness Programme, for instance, is for every parent who has ever wondered why their children would spend hours chatting and gaming online, or deck out in outlandish costumes and accessories in the name of Cosplay.

3. Aimed at helping parents recognise the subtle signs of harmful online behaviour in their children as well as create a healthy cyber culture at home, the four-part programme starts with a half-hour talk show, during which youths engage in frank and open discussions with parents on their thoughts and experiences as avid gamers and Cosplayers.

4. In addition to the Cyber Wellness Programme, other initiatives designed to boost parents' mental health literacy throughout their children's various life stages include:

• Parent Support Network
  Kicking off today at Nee Soon East Constituency with an invitation for parents to sign up, the Parent Support Network will consist of parent health advocates who will be trained by HPB to equip other parents within the community with the parenting skills to nurture their children's mental well-being.

• ‘Raising Healthy & Happy Kids’ Parent Resource Kit
  A resource kit for parents to teach children about stress management and coping mechanisms using games and activities, it also teaches parents to build their children's self-esteem and be a positive role model.

• Theatre Forum
  A 45-minute production used to generate discussion on ways to handle stress as a family, cope with life's challenges and enhance relationships. Unlike a traditional play, however, the audience is invited to suggest different possible 'solutions' to the story, which the cast will enact.

5. Empowerment of parents is a key thrust of the 'Healthy Mind, Healthy Community' Mental Well-being Framework – research identifies parental responsiveness as well as strong parent-child relationship and support as two determining factors of effective parental care, which are crucial to a child's overall healthy development.

6. To complement the launch of these capacity-building programmes for parents, HPB is also bringing to Nee Soon East CC programmes to empower youths, such as:

• Youth Mental Health Ambassador Programme
  Bringing HPB's Youth Mental Health Ambassador Programme to Nee Soon East, HPB has trained 30 youth health ambassadors from Nee Soon East CC's Youth Executive Committee, Northland Secondary School and Yishun New Town Secondary School. These young advocates will use the mentorship and project management skills they learn to plan and facilitate peer-led projects such as resilience campaigns as well as community activities such as road shows and exhibitions related to mental well-being.

• Wellness on Wheels (WoW) Programme
  The Wellness on Wheels programme is a highly visual programme that teaches resilience through sports. Using cycling tricks and stunts, national cyclists from the Singapore Cycling Federation will engage youths on the three 'C's – Commitment, Confidence and Courage, as well as highlight practical tips on building mental resilience through sports.

7. Said Mr Patrick Tay, Adviser to Nee Soon East Grassroots Organisation: “A place where both parents and children can easily find common ground through the wide spectrum of activities and programmes offered, the neighbourhood Community Club is an ideal place to introduce HPB's 'Healthy Mind, Healthy Community' Mental Well-being Initiative. Such an Initiative is important as mental wellness and resilience is an intrinsic part of a truly healthy lifestyle. I encourage all Nee Soon East residents to make use of the programmes and resources to learn the coping skills we all need to deal with the ups and downs in life, and build even stronger family units.”

8. Said Mr Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Officer, HPB: “The 'Healthy Mind, Healthy Community' Mental Well-being Initiative aims to empower parents with the skills and knowledge to teach their children important mental well-being skills. We want them to be able to better understand what makes their children tick, so that they will be more equipped to support and encourage their children to make better decisions – before a pastime becomes an addiction; before a disagreement turns into a family feud. While parent empowerment is a key thrust, HPB is also riding on the strengths of the entire community to boost the mental health literacy of the young; such as teachers, neighbours and, not forgetting, the young themselves. This we do through working with, for example, schools and grassroots to train active and passionate health ambassadors.”

9. Said Mr Tan Meng, Chairperson, Nee Soon East CC's Active Ageing Committee: “Reports indicate that young people in Singapore are more likely to suffer a mental illness than someone else over 30. The days of our youth can be a time of adventure or a time of angst – the difference sometimes boils down to our outlook or the effectiveness of our coping mechanisms. As the driver of health promotion efforts at Nee Soon East Constituency, the Citizens' Consultative Committee's Active Ageing Committee wants to do what we can to help our young within the community nurture their mental well-being.”

10. HPB plans to introduce the 'Healthy Mind, Healthy Community' Mental Well-being Framework to 25 constituencies and reach out to 30,000 parents and youths by 2015.

Annex – Programme Highlights

Issued by Health Promotion Board

Media Release

For more information on the article above, refer to Media Release [PDF, 194.6 KB].