SISC KENYA

Excited to Collaborate and network with Network Of African Women Alliance (NAFRIWA) on empowering women and young girls as we brain storm on ways to lift up the girl child.

This year we celebrate Children's mental health with the theme "This is My Place," focusing on helping children and young people find a sense of belonging in their schools, families, and communities.

A mentally stable child is a wholesome child who is able to focus on their studies and social life in healthy ways.

HAPPY CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH WEEK

She was drowning.
And nobody noticed…
Nobody, except her.

It was June 2022, at the World Championships in Budapest.
Anita Álvarez, an American artistic swimmer with Mexican roots, was performing a flawless routine.
But when her performance ended… she didn’t come up for air.

She had lost consciousness.
Her body floated for a few seconds, then began to sink.
Slowly. All the way to the bottom of the pool.

The audience didn’t notice. Neither did the judges.
Everyone was clapping.

But her coach, Andrea Fuentes, noticed.
She knew Anita—knew exactly how long it took her to surface.
She felt in her heart that something was wrong.

Without thinking twice, she dove in.
Fully dressed. Shoes and all.

She swam straight down, grabbed Anita by the waist,
and brought her back up.
She saved her life.

This story left me thinking…

Who knows you well enough to notice when you’re not okay, even if you’re still smiling?
Who would dive in for you without hesitation when you no longer have the strength to come up for air?

And more importantly…

Would you be that person for someone else?
Are you present enough in your loved ones’ lives to sense the moment they start to sink?
Or are you just another spectator, clapping, not realizing that inside, they’re fading?

In this life, we all need someone who doesn’t just see us—
but truly notices us.
Someone who knows when we’re about to give up,
and has the courage to jump in and save us.

I think I need to start telling stories about being a pr***en/teen mom so that we can be laughing crying and learning together on this one.
I have been a mentor and a child/adolescent counsellor for so many years and now I guess its my turn to live it. My son is soon turning 11 and ooh I am super exited about. Aside from the fact that we now put on the same shoe size and he's my height too, its the conversations that we have from time to time, and that most of the time he does not like these conversations because I will always be talking about him keeping his room clean, studying, helping out with the house chores and yadiyada. But when we are talking about buying a PS, going for vacation or any other extra curriculum activities, he's all in and very exited to give his million dollar ideas on it.

I am grateful to God because I get to approach this stage with a lot of self awareness and an informed mind too. I bet most parents barely are aware when their children hit the adolescent stage. I have come to realize that power struggle starts way before these children transition fully into their teen-hood and that is what we call the pr***en. So as the parents are still in their comfort still believing that they are dealing with their 8 year old, the pr***en start to form behaviors that if not addressed, turn into habits that see us parents stressed and dealing with high blood pressure while running helter skelter looking for external help for our adolescents.(sometimes it could be too late)
This lead me to pause the question, are we aware of every developmental stages our children are hitting, or we chose to be blindfolded and assume they are still our 8 year old babies that we can just s***k and all is sorted out?

With an informed perspective, self awareness and intentionality parents will and are able t position themselves to be able to guide their adolescents in best possible ways and with a lot of wisdom. We are able to pick the ques of the changes happening and address them early enough so that it does not become a habit.

It's been a few minutes of being a pre teen mom and I have laughed, cried and learnt at the same time. But what I have sworn to do is become intentional and be very present because I can't even lie, the amount of anxiety I feel about raising an adolescents is outrageous. I am also glad that I will also be giving information from first hand experience of being a pr***en mom

With the long break from school which has just began, it is important to shed some light on the peer pressure our kids may experience during the holidays. Especially with our older children and the adolescents.

Last week I took time to mentor schools and help the pupils and students come up with a plan for the holiday as well as mentor on some of the activities they can engage in. While we have quite a number of lists why we wish schools were not closed as parents, it is important to remember that the holidays aren't just stressful for you as parents, they are actually stressful for children too.

While most of the parents are going to send their children to visit their relatives, I hope we are aware of peer influence/pressure. These are not just friends but relatives too. Many times, kids are trying so hard to fit in and be liked that they can lose sight of who they truly are and who has their best interest in mind. Teaching kids independence and that it is ok to say ”no” are crucial.

There are many types of peer pressure. Some peer pressure can result in negative outcomes, some can result in positive outcomes. More often than not, we associate peer pressure with the negative outcomes. For kids, the positive peer pressure can lead to good outcomes such as going to the gym, leading to better health and stress relief, studying harder at school or attending college. Nonetheless, the word ‘pressure’ has a negative connotation. It is still peer pressure whether negative or positive outcomes result. That said, it is important to speak to your child about being independent in their thoughts, actions and goals and above all, what it means to be a true friend.

Getting caught up with the wrong crowd is undesirable and can lead to bad life decisions. Let your child know you are willing to be their sounding board and the safe place they so desire and search for. Be a friend, but above all, be their role model and teach them that it’s ok to be different. Teach your kids how to handle peer pressure. Know their peer groups and spend time with them and their peers.
During this holiday, observe your child’s interactions whether if it’s with family members or friends. The holidays can be a vulnerable time for some. We often get wrapped up in the busyness of it all that we forget our kids are exposed to stressful situations.

Join me as I will be discussing about child and adolescent mental health and child mental health related disorders

Zoom link - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6753636988?pwd=7kRnJgJ6ajXMv62E6qk344OifKTzMN.1

World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
As we carry this day with a lot of importance, please join our talk today at 8pm and lets talk about mental health at work places.
MENTAL HEALTH DAY TALK
Thursday, Oct 10 • 8:00 – 9:30 PM
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/uqs-airi-ohd

sisckenya.org




Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
As we carry this day with a lot of importance, please join our talk today at 8pm and lets talk about mental health at work places.
MENTAL HEALTH DAY TALK
Thursday, Oct 10 • 8:00 – 9:30 PM
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/uqs-airi-ohd

sisckenya.org

It's a whole lot when it comes to taking care of your mental health and you have to be intentional with the journey.....

Are you self abusing? ......