Good morning, Tory, into middle school and welcome to our

last day of mental health week.

I hope that you guys enjoyed what we talked about

these last three days and learned a lot.

But I also want to hope that you guys realize

that we're here.

Um, as a school for you guys today, we're going

to end on talking about trusted adults.

What I trusted it all is how to identify one

and why we need one.

So let's go.

So Step one is defining what a trusted adult is.

A trusted adult is someone who you consider to have

a good relationship with someone who you think has your

best interest in mind.

Somebody that you can talk to, somebody that you trust

and somebody that you know is going to be there

for you no matter what Step two is identifying, Why

should we all have trusted adults?

We should have trusted adults because guys, middle school is

tough, especially right now.

During covid, you guys are learning how to navigate middle

school in a whole new way.

You're wearing masks, you're socially distancing from your friends.

You have to use the computer to learn.

So having an adult there to help you navigate middle

school will also lessen your depress, your depression and stress.

You know, we talked about anxiety and depression early on

this week, but it is very helpful to have somebody

there because it's going to lessen how you feel in

the moment.

Also having someone you could trust.

Just knowing that there's somebody out there that you can

go to when you need to will help you, somebody

to advocate for you being a student.

Sometimes it's hard to relay our emotions or relay our

concerns. So having that trusted adult be your voice when

you don't know how to be is very helpful and

someone you can rely on, whether it's good news or

bad news, somebody that you know it's going to be

there for you no matter what.

Step three.

Now we're going to talk about identifying who a trusted

adult is.

A trusted adults have many traits, but the top four

that your trusted adults should have should be caring.

This person does what's best for you.

They put you first, and they care about your mental

and emotional well being.

But they also care about your physical safety, someone who's

trustworthy. This person is dependable, a confidant and someone that

you feel comfortable talking to you no matter what.

The subject is someone who is respectful.

This person is going to be mindful and considerate of

your feelings and your personal boundaries.

And last but not least, someone who is thoughtful and

helpful. This person actively listens to you.

They believe in you and they when you tell them

something's wrong.

And this person is also going to provide guidance and

help you find solutions to the problem.

Believe it or not, adults don't know everything.

So if you're telling them something and they don't know

the proper solution, they're going to find out what it

is and they're gonna help you.

Now let's talk about who in the school can be

a trusted adult.

Really. Anybody at school can be a trusted adult, a

teacher, past and present guidance counselors, school social workers, paraprofessionals

past and present custodians, secretaries, security admins, cafeteria workers, administration,

anybody that you feel comfortable in the school talking to

is your trusted adult.

There's no wrong answer here.

When you talk to outside of school, you can talk

to your parents, your guardians, your aunts, your uncles, your

cousins, your grandparents, maybe a coach, a therapist or a

counselor that you see outside of school.

Anybody that you see outside of school that you trust

that's an adult can be your trusted adult.

Step four.

Identifying when we need a trusted adult There are many

situations where you might need to talk to somebody.

So here is just an overview.

When you're feeling overwhelmed or anxious, whether it's schoolwork, friends,

emotions. Maybe it's the pandemic.

If you're feeling sad or depressed, whether something is going

on at home, maybe there's a situation going on with

your friends.

Maybe you don't know why you're just feeling off.

You're feeling sad, depressed, tired, not really into things that

you used to be in safety.

If someone's harming you or you know someone who is

harming somebody else, maybe it's happy news.

We don't always need to go to our trusted adult

for sad things.

Maybe we have something really excited that we want to

tell them Now.

I know talking to a trusted adult might be hard

for some, especially if it's new.

So let's go over what a conversation might look like

now that you've identified your trusted adult, the next step

again is to start a conversation.

You might be feeling a little hesitant for a couple

of reasons.

Maybe talking to adult about your feelings is new, so

it's going to seem overwhelming, embarrassing, kind of scary.

Even with an adult you trust, you might also be

concerned that what you have to tell them might worry

or upset them.

But you have to remember the trusted adult in your

life. They care about you, and they want you to

feel happy and safe, so nothing that you say to

them is going to make them upset with you.

So now how do you start that conversation?

Olivia wants to talk to her, trusted at all, and

this is how she can say it.

Hi, Mrs Smith, Can I talk to you about something?

I've been having trouble at lunch, and I was hoping

you can help.

That's a great way to start a conversation.

She can also say, Miss Smith, there's something I want

to talk to you about, but I'm not sure how

to say it, which is great, too.

She can also say Mrs Smith, having a little difficulty.

I need someone to talk to or she can say,

Mrs Smith, can you talk to me when you get

a chance?

Anyway, that you guys want to start?

The conversation is opening that door and your trusted adults

gonna know how to navigate it and help you and

the best way they can.

Step five, we're gonna focus on Torrington Middle School as

a community.

First, we're gonna hear from Zachary.

Zachary says I'm stronger in school because I know whom

I trusted.

Adults are.

I feel safe because I know who I can go

to when I'm struggling.

Now we're going to talk about the staff.

The staff put a little presentation together.

So I hope you guys enjoy it.

Yeah, everything here and now It's time for celebration.

Figures out.

Yeah, that all dreams have no limitations.

That's what it's all about.

It's all the way reach.

So I'm going to leave you with a thought.

Who's your trusted adults?

Chapters

Audio TranscriptAuto-generated