This week on Guides' Own, We are talking about Mental Health and how Guiding has taken time to make sure that girls today have the tools to have good mental health and how Canadian compares have been working to destigmatize mental health problems.
We begin with looking at some mental health statistics in Canada. Many Canadian Health studies regarding children and youth have been conducted over the years, and there were several statistics that caught our eye:
Of 26,000 Canadian students surveyed, approximately ⅓ of girls feel depressed or low on a weekly basis
⅓ of girls keep mental health concerns to themselves
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in Canada, with young women experiencing nearly 3 times the rate of hospitalization for suicide attempts than young men
Dr. Robin Alter is a clinical child psychologist with The Psychology Foundation of Canada. and she says that "[r]esearch shows that by grade 10, girls experience poorer mental health than boys... Early education around mental health, such as the new Mighty Minds program, can make a significant, long-lasting impact and help young women lead healthy, positive and productive lives."
As Guiders in Canada, we have access to a great deal of mental health programming and resources that help us to teach and support girls, including the Mighty Minds challenge. A lot of ideas are shared through the Girls First program, as well as through blog posts from Guiders across the country. One post includes some great ideas of how you and your girls can build mental health first aid kits.
Listen to the full episode to hear about how Canadians are addressing Mental Health issues and how Girl Guides supports their members.
Dr. Joyce Roberts is a TV Psychologist who made waves in the field in the 50s, 60s, and 70s by educating the public about mental health and making it a part of our daily conversations.
Joyce grew up in an environment in which her status as a female made no difference to the family's expectations of high academic excellence. In that sense, her father would treat her like a son. Joyce was often described as being a studious person, thriving on "hard work and academic achievement".
In 1947, she graduated from Cornell with honours, double-majoring in home economics and psychology. Then, she attended Columbia University for graduate studies starting in 1948. Her PhD in psychology wasn't easily earned, however. Upon receiving acceptance into Columbia, the dean of her department stated that although her qualifications were impeccable, she was taking the position of a man who would use the degree, and it would be best if she dropped her position. Joyce didn't. She earned her PhD in 1953, and along the way she worked as a research assistant at Columbia, an instructor at Hunter College, and a research fellow on a UNESCO leadership project.
Joyce made her first TV appearance on the quiz show The $64,000 Question. Contestants on the show were asked questions of increasing difficulty about a single topic they chose in advance. Joyce used her photographic memory to memorize twenty volumes of boxing encyclopedias, years worth of Ring Magazine, a premier boxing publication, and studied with boxing writer Nat Fleisher and former Olympic champion Edward Egan in order to win the $64,000 grand prize. She became an instant celebrity as only the second person ever to win the grand prize!
Read more about how Joyce used this win to launch her career.
Finally, we sing a song new to Marissa, but an old fave of Taryn’s, An Irish Blessing.
Generally, Irish Blessings blessings are commonly used in wedding ceremonies, family gatherings and at other such special occasions. This song specifically is known as the Traditional Irish Blessing or Travel Blessing.
We're not entirely sure how or why the Girl Guides adopted it into their songbooks, but our guess would be that is was chosen because it fits in pretty well with Guiding traditions, with descriptions of travelling and meeting and parting with new friends in the lyrics.
You can listen to Episode 24 now, and catch up on previous episodes, either right here on our website or on your favourite podcast app (Spotify, Apple, Google, Anchor, etc.).
We would love to know what your opening and closings you use in your units. Leave a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you'd like to contribute to an episode of Guides' Own, send us your ideas for topics, program, campfire songs, etc. send a message to guidesown@gmail.com.
Wishing you a good mental health week,
Marissa & Taryn