Using Buddy Benches to improve mental health 用 “好友长凳” 改善儿童心理健康

英语大破解

Using Buddy Benches to improve mental health 用 “好友长凳” 改善儿童心理健康

本集内容

学习要点

有关 “mental health 心理健康” 的词汇

边看边答

How many children have actually used the Buddy Bench?

文字稿

This is what’s known as a 'Buddy' or 'Friendship Bench'. They’re needed because playgrounds can be lonely places sometimes. And these benches can help pupils feeling lonely to find a friend.

这就是所谓的 “好友长凳” 或 “友谊长椅”。它们为人所需，因为操场有时会是个孤独的地方。而这些长凳能帮感到孤独的小学生们找到朋友。

Benches like this have been around for a while now in many schools. But in Ireland, they are trying to do something a bit different with them. This school in Cork in the south of Ireland is the 247th to get one from a social enterprise called Buddy Bench Ireland that doesn't just provide schools with benches, it also runs special workshops with trained child psychiatrists.

这类长椅早已出现在很多学校里。但在爱尔兰，人们在试着用它做不一样的事。这所位于爱尔兰南部城市科克的学校是第247个从社会企业 “好友凳爱尔兰” 拿到凳子的学校，该企业不仅提供长凳，还与受过专门训练的儿童精神病专家共同开办特别讲习班。

They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental well-being. They talk about the importance of being aware of your feelings and those of others.

他们把坐在长凳上作为和孩子们谈论心理健康状况的契机。他们谈论意识到自身及他人感受的重要性。

Judith Ashton, co-founder, Buddy Bench Ireland
The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it symbolises – friendship, inclusion, listening to each other and the most important thing, that it’s important to express feelings.

朱迪斯·阿什顿联合创始人好友凳爱尔兰
“孩子们得明白这把长凳的特别之处是什么，它象征着什么：友谊、包容、互相倾听，还有最重要的一点，就是表达感受的重要性。”

But do children actually use the bench? It's something an independent academic study has been looking at.

但是，孩子们真的会去用它吗？这是一项独立的学术研究所关注的问题。

Sinead Mcgilloway, Maynooth University
We found that 40% of the children told us that they had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child was sitting on the bench. So, certainly there doesn't appear to be any issues around stigma.

希奈德·麦吉洛维梅努斯大学
“40%的孩子告诉我们，他们在研究期间确实使用了 ‘好友长凳’。超过90%的孩子说他们会和坐在长凳上的其他孩子交谈。所以，显然他们并不认为这有什么不光彩的。”

Children's mental health at school is increasingly a concern in many countries. In Ireland, they're hoping these benches will not only tackle issues like social isolation and bullying, but also give a future generation the confidence to open up about their feelings.

在许多国家，儿童在校内的心理健康日益受到关注。在爱尔兰，人们希望这些长凳不仅能解决社会隔离和欺凌等问题，还能给未来的一代敞开心扉谈论自己感受的自信。

词汇

psychiatrists 精神病医生

mental well-being 心理健康

inclusion 包容

express feelings 表达感受

stigma 耻辱感

你知道吗？

Dozens of schools in England are giving students lessons in mindfulness to improve behaviour and health. This is a way to teach them to stop, be in the moment, be aware of their surroundings and relax.

英格兰几十所学校正在给学生上有关正念认知的课，以改善他们的行为和健康。这是一种教他们停下来、活在当下、了解周围环境并放松身心的方法。