Coast schools get their gummies on for mental health

Gumboots ranged from classic red bands to gold sparkles. From left, Louis Mayne, Joel Henwood, Leah Andrell and Rylee Pollock. Silverdale School students give gumboots the thumbs up. From left, Eleanor Healy and Mila Bibbie, from Silverdale School, show their support by wearing their colourful gummies even on the playground. Year 2 students at Red Beach School say they wear their gumboots not just to keep their feet dry, but to help those whose “brains are a bit sad”.

Hibiscus Coast schools sported their best gumboots for Gumboot Friday on April 5, supporting young Kiwis struggling with mental health.

Gumboot Friday is a new nationwide initiative, driven by New Zealander of the Year Mike King’s charity I am Hope, aimed at providing free counselling for all school-aged children who need it.

Students nationwide also donated a gold coin on the day to help reach the charity’s goal of $2 million. The total raised was not yet finalised, but was almost $1m when Hibiscus Matters went to print.

The charity say gumboots are symbolic of the struggle people with mental health issues experience every day – a bit like walking through mud.

Gumboot Friday also encouraged students to talk about mental health, with the hope of removing any stigma and reducing New Zealand’s high youth suicide rate.

Silverdale School principal Cameron Lockie says their school approaches mental health discussions in a careful, relatable way.

“Words like ‘mental health’ and ‘depression’ are quite large concepts for primary aged kids to comprehend, so we focus on recognising those feelings,” he says. “For example, by explaining what to do when they get a funny, sinking feeling in their tummy.”

While they don’t want to overwhelm students, Cameron says the conversation is still important.

“An increasing number of kids have anxiety, even at a young age,” he says.

“This can make functioning in a classroom setting difficult for them because it causes them to shut down.”

Gumboot Friday follows I Am Hope’s Facebook campaign, where Kiwibank donated a dollar to the cause for every Kiwi who used the I Am Hope filter on their profile picture. More than 185,000 people participated, resulting in Kiwibank donating $100,000.