LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – To many, Oct. 16 is not a day that comes with much acknowledgment. However, the LAHS WellSpace is making a push for Unity Day to be more present within our school. Known nationally as Unity Day, Oct. 16 is a day where people take the time to acknowledge and practice inclusion, kindness and acceptance in an effort to circumvent bullying in our society and schools nationwide.
Last month, The Wellspace put together several events to come in tandem with Unity Day as a way of amplifying the cause to students throughout the month in support of October’s National Bullying Prevention Month.
The main event brought to campus was cyberbullying prevention workshops, held during lunches to teach students how to protect themselves and each other online, as well as showing how actions we take can affect others both positively and negatively. Offering these workshops on a wide scale, the WellSpace urges students to help prevent bullying one person at a time to spread awareness of the dangerous effects that follow things like Cyberbullying in our very online prevalent world.
“In general, it’s hard to stand up when someone’s doing something wrong… So I feel that, in giving students techniques, ideas and support in the fact that, if they see something, they should stand up right away, if someone is not able to stand up for themselves you should be that person who can stand up for someone else,” said Mrs. Ledterman, the WellSpace Counselor.
The WellSpace also introduced the “Never a bother” campaign, hanging up posters around campus with tips on psychological wellness such as coping skills, suicide warning signs and getting help. With this campaign, the WellSpace staff hopes to form a safe atmosphere at LAHS promoting self-help mental health awareness.
“I thought (the campaign) was great a thing for students to know that they are, as the name implies, never a bother, that they have people to come to… I really like that campaign as it reminds people that they are never bothering anyone,” said Mrs. Ledterman.
Additionally, the non-profit organization “Letters Against Depression” had also been brought to the WellSpace, which offered students a way to get service hours while also supporting a strong cause. Students could write a kind letter or create a piece of art to send to those in need of encouragement. While this initiative may seem small, just one letter could mean everything to someone who needs it.
“I hope that we can bring that culture that we need to take care of each other. We really are a community here and even just asking something as simple as are you okay and showing that little bit of outreach toward others can mean a lot. I would hope that we are getting to a point to do that.” said Mrs. Ledterman
In bringing these campaigns together and fostering in a unified atmosphere, LAHS can create a big impact and a more welcoming community towards issues like bullying and mental health in our spaces. If we can learn to take care of each other, better things can come towards taking care of ourselves.
