SWELE Program: An Unstructured Outdoor Play With Mindfulness-based Interventions to Promote Mental Health Among Students With Special Education Needs

This is an observational study with the aim of SWELE Programme is to raise mental health knowledge and awareness by implementing a play-based approach on Supporting Wellness in E-Child Learning Environments (SWELE) programme combining unstructured outdoor play activities with mindfulness-based interventions to promote mental health in children and adolescents with special education needs (SEN), in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a 16-week SWELE programme and it will be conducted in two batches. Each batch has three special schools. The main activities include: One training workshop for three groups in each special school: 1) Scout Leaders (special schools\' teachers), 2) SEN students (scouts in the school) to become Youth Mental Health Ambassadors and 3) for parents, school social workers, school nurses, schoolteachers and stakeholders; 30 minutes unstructured outdoor play with mindfulness activities 2 times per week for 16 weeks After participated the SWELE programme, the primary outcomes include reducing anxiety symptoms, reducing negative emotions, improving social skills in peer relationships; and changing in playfulness level among SEN children and adolescents. Main activities of SWELE programme: * Unstructured outdoor free play integrated into the school\'s extra-curricular activities (Youth Mental Health Ambassadors) to promote SEN students\' mental health for objectives 1-4. * Use mindfulness-based podcasts, mindfulness games, mindfulness art for objectives 1-2. * Through meditation and deep breathing technique, storytelling with relaxing waves piano music, yoga and mindful art for objectives 1-2. * Training Workshops (Training of trainers) for Scout Leaders who will implement SWELE program in each special school. * Youth Mental Health Ambassador Program for SEN students who are enrolled in Scout Club in each special school; SWELE training workshops for parents and schoolteachers will also be held in each special school for objectives 1-4. * Examples of unstructured play might be creative play alone or with others, including artistic or musical games. imaginative games - for example, making cubbyhouses with boxes or blankets, dressing up or playing make-believe, exploring new or favorite spaces like school backyards, parks, playgrounds and so on.