HAUPPAUGE, NY — Hauppauge High School’s Natural Helpers visited the district’s elementary schools to teach different aspects of wellness to their younger peers, the school district announced.
Natural Helpers is a peer-mentoring program that teaches students communication skills and how to provide support to others. Natural Helpers undergo training which provides them with the necessary skills and resources to help friends, learn positive ways to take care of themselves and cope with difficult situations. They attend weekly meetings to discuss strategies for helping peers.
In September, Natural Helpers Sofia Cambareri, Reese Coughlin, Abigail Hartman, Hannah Harten and Jacob Wolmetz applied to the Cohen Strong Mental Health program run by Northwell Health.
The program was created to further inform and guide students in promoting the importance of mental health in their schools and communities. After being accepted into the program, these students attended monthly meetings to create a community-based project, and each took an additional course to receive a certification in teen mental health first aid.
The program’s goal was for each participating school to form a project that provides awareness for mental wellness. In order to meet their goal, the high schoolers met with each of the district’s three elementary schools for an interactive presentation.
To start, elementary students broke into small groups where they went through a series of fun
icebreaker activities with one of the Natural Helpers. From there, students rotated tables, learning about topics, including gratitude, resources, coping strategies, physical wellness and communication.
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