Talking about your mental health is a taboo for many young people. Although young people indicate that they think it is important to talk about it, research by CMO Stamm shows that 42 percent of young people in Groningen and Drenthe do not do this. The reason? Shame, afraid of being assessed, or simply not knowing how to start.
Vera (15), HAVO 4 student of the Dr. Nassau College, says: “If you say it out loud, it is out of your head and that feels good. But I also know that it is difficult for some people to do that.” And she understands: “It is difficult to share with others that you are not feeling well, especially if you are afraid that people will have an opinion about you.”
At Nassau College, location Quintus, they take this problem seriously. This school year the Storm approach was introduced, a program that teaches students about mental health. The goal is not only to make young people more aware of their own emotions, but also to make the subject negotiable at school.
According to department leader Rémy Brenkman, mental health is just as important as learning for your exams. “If things are not going well, it will influence your performance. You can only learn well if you are mentally balanced.” With the storm approach they want normalization around mental health: talking about your feelings is just as important as doing homework.
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