Smart D8 Supports Health and Happiness Week at St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School

Wellbeing Workshops as part of St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School’s Health & Happiness Week

Smart D8 was delighted to partner with St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School as part of their Health and Happiness Week, which took place during the week of January 26th. This collaborative initiative focused on promoting both physical and mental wellbeing among students through engaging, age-appropriate workshops.

Across the week, 52 students participated in two interactive sessions designed to support healthy minds and bodies – a Zumba fitness workshop for 1st year students and a Mental Health First Aid workshop for 2nd year students.

Zumba Fitness Workshop (1st Year Students)

The Zumba workshop, delivered by Gita Cherry Prabhandhari, provided students with a high-energy and fun introduction to dance-based fitness.

The session aimed to promote:

• Physical activity and movement
• Confidence and self-expression
• Joy and positivity during the school day

Throughout the hour-long workshop, students remained enthusiastic and actively engaged with continuous laughter, smiling and high energy levels reflecting their genuine enjoyment. All 25 participating students took part fully and left the session feeling energised and positive.

Mental Health First Aid Workshop (2nd Year Students)

The Mental Health First Aid session, delivered by Kieran Doyle, aimed to increase students’ understanding and awareness of mental health and to equip them with practical tools to support themselves and others.

This workshop is particularly significant given that the World Health Organisation reports that 1 in 7 teenagers will experience mental health challenges. The session reinforced the important message that everyone has mental health, while acknowledging that recognising poor mental health, in ourselves or others, can sometimes be difficult.

To make the topic accessible and engaging for teenagers, the workshop utilised the ALGEE Action Plan, a structured and practical tool that helps students to:

• Assess for risk
• Listen effectively and empathetically
• Give reassurance and accurate information
• Encourage professional support
• Encourage self-help strategies

Students reported that the workshop was easy to understand and particularly enjoyed the interactive activities, which helped bring the learning to life in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Smart D8 is proud to support initiatives that place young people’s wellbeing at the centre of school life. The collaboration with St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School during Health and Happiness Week highlighted the value of combining physical activity with mental health education to support students’ overall wellbeing.