Think and Be Me has secured about $200,000 from the Government’s contestable Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund.
The matched funding will allow the programme to visit 80 extra schools next year in Northland, Auckland, Taranaki and Whanganui, doubling its school visits.
Think and Be Me chief executive Troy Elliott said the investment was an important recognition of the need to support children’s mental wellbeing through early intervention and prevention.
“We shouldn’t wait until children are struggling with their mental wellbeing before teaching them how their brains work, how to manage big feelings and how to cope with life’s challenges.”
The Government funding also reinforced the importance of treating mental wellbeing education as an essential part of children’s development, Elliott said.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey (right) gets a laugh out of the Manaia View School children, supported by the Think and Be Me team (from left) Cat Levine, Titeri Afoa, Harmony Hogarth and Willie Henley. Photo / Denise Piper
“We teach children maths and reading because we know they’ll need those skills throughout life.
“Understanding their emotions, recognising unhelpful thinking and knowing how to cope when things get tough are just as important.”
Founded by Cat Levine, Think and Be Me uses interactive performances, memorable characters and evidence-informed strategies grounded in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and neuroscience to make the programmes engaging and accessible for primary school children.
Levine says the programme is about much more than simply teaching children to manage their emotions.
“No one is happy all the time, and that’s okay. We want children to know that it’s normal to feel worried, angry, sad or frustrated,” Levine says.
Manaia View School pupils Bhella Varilla (left), Lexus Williams, Dominic Brandt and Te Ana Paul give thumbs up for Cool Cat thinking. Photo / Denise Piper
“What’s important is that they don’t keep their feelings a secret, that they know who to talk to, and that they learn ways to calm themselves and change their Stinking Thinking into Cool Cat Thinking.”
The programme teaches children to recognise their feelings, understand the connection between thoughts, emotions and behaviours, and develop practical strategies to respond to everyday challenges.
Thursday’s show saw Doocey experience the impact of thinking like a Worry Watchdog and Angry Dragon, before Cool Cat came to calm the scene.
National Party Whangārei candidate Lloyd Budd also used “Cool Cat thinking” to catch positive thoughts.
To help reinforce the messages, the pupils were given mood cubes to take home to help them recognise their feelings and share them with others, and each class was given a set of puppets.
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Image 1 of 4: Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey (left) and Manaia View School lead teacher Shelley Moselen watch the Think and Be Me show. Photo / Denise Piper
The Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund aims to support organisations already delivering better mental health outcomes.
Doocey committed $20 million over four years for the fund, with 22 organisations receiving funding in the latest round announced earlier in October.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.