How are you feeling as we turn out of January and into the next month? I can’t say I’ll be too sad to see the back of January – it’s been quite a difficult month in many ways, and while I’m sure there are challenging times anew to come, there are lots of things to look forward to in the first few days of February. For example (drum roll!): the Now and Beyond on Inside Out Day Festival, which is so very nearly upon us! Last week I gave you a few details about the festival, and today am able to share a few more.

The festival will unite over 1000 schools, hundreds of local wellbeing providers and nationally renowned experts and consultants. Students and teachers will be offered special lesson resources created for the event, and can join live-streamed webinars featuring presenter and advocate Katie Piper, BBC Radio 1 star Dr Radha Modgil and rapper and activist Shocka, as well as our very own good friend and superstar, CBeebies’ Rebecca Keatley. There will be special teacher-focused sessions delivered by organisations such as the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Place2Be.

However, the vision for the event is so much more than the day itself. As well as the live-streamed sessions, schools have been partnered with local providers, who will deliver personalised sessions on mindfulness, psychology, yoga, music, play and much more. The hope is that this will lead to a long-standing partnership between the schools and organisations – delivering long-term, effective and transformative benefits to children’s (and teachers’) mental health.

And the very wonderful Rebecca, who I mentioned just now, will, alongside the lovely Katy Ashworth, be hosting a very special live webinar in collaboration with Bow-Wowza! Covering everything from gratitude to laughter, and featuring Bow-Wowza songs and activities, this is certainly not one to miss.

So, dear Hubbers, remember that it’s absolutely not too late to sign up to this amazing event, and that you can visit the Now and Beyond website to do so. I’ll write next week with reflections and exciting happenings from the day, plus even more news on exciting Bow-Wowza developments! If you have any questions about the events, or general thoughts or musings, please do email me at sally@happynesshub.com. Stay tuned, and have a wonderful week in the meantime. And please spread the word about the festival and all it has to offer. As Nelson Mandela once said,

“History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.”