In a report published by CBC Canada, the Regina Public Schools district with the support of the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region developed a teen-based program called FRIENDS. It is actually an acronym that reminds the adolescent students what to do every time they encounter situations that can cause a high level of stress, anxiety, or depression.
F stands for feelings or recognizing one's own feelings about a certain situation. R means "remember to relax." I is an affirmation like "I can do best" or "I can try." E is all about exploring various other programs, treatment plans, and coping mechanisms available for them.
N means "now reward yourself" perhaps for the teen's successful ability to control and cope negative feelings. D means "don't forget to practice," recalling the other life lessons that form part of the acronym. Lastly, there's S, which is "smile and stay calm for life."
Aside from the acronym, the program, according to its coordinator Rob Stephenson, also introduces the concept of green and red thoughts. Red stands for negative thoughts while green means positive. The main objective of the program is to transform these red thoughts into green.
So far, FRIENDS, which started around October to November in 2013, has been successful. In a small study they conducted, around 76 students, of whom 17% were diagnosed with clinical anxiety or depression, were asked about their feelings before and after the implementation of the program. In their analysis, the percentage of sufferers went down to 12%.
Today the program is incorporated in their health class and is being taught among students from grades 4 to 6. Teaching is gradual, which means lessons are spread out across several weeks.
Moreover, with the $50,000 grant they received from RBC Foundation, they hope they can expand the program to cover 1,000 students-there are only 120 students that belong to the program presently-including those in Catholic schools. They also plan to get more than 45 facilitators that will assist teachers who plan to integrate the program into their classes.
