用 “好友长凳” 改善儿童心理健康
Using Buddy Benches to improve mental health
This is what’s known as a 'Buddy' or 'Friendship Bench'.
这就是所谓的 “好友长凳” 或 “友谊长椅”。
They’re needed because playgrounds can be lonely places sometimes.
它们为人所需，因为操场有时会是个孤独的地方。
And these benches can help pupils feeling lonely to find a friend.
而这些长凳能帮感到孤独的小学生们找到朋友。
Benches like this have been around for a while now in many schools.
这类长椅早已出现在很多学校里。
But in Ireland, they are trying to do something a bit different with them.
但在爱尔兰，人们在试着用它做不一样的事。
This school in Cork in the south of Ireland is the 247th to get one from a social enterprise called Buddy Bench Ireland
这所位于爱尔兰南部城市科克的学校是第247个从社会企业 “好友凳爱尔兰” 拿到凳子的学校
that doesn't just provide schools with benches, it also runs special workshops with trained child psychiatrists.
该企业不仅提供长凳，还与受过专门训练的儿童精神病专家共同开办特别讲习班。
They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental well-being.
他们把坐在长凳上作为和孩子们谈论心理健康状况的契机。
They talk about the importance of being aware of your feelings and those of others.
他们谈论意识到自身及他人感受的重要性。
The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it symbolises – friendship, inclusion, listening to each other and the most important thing, that it’s important to express feelings.
孩子们得明白这把长凳的特别之处是什么，它象征着什么：友谊、包容、互相倾听，还有最重要的一点，就是表达感受的重要性。
But do children actually use the bench?
但是，孩子们真的会去用它吗？
It's something an independent academic study has been looking at.
这是一项独立的学术研究所关注的问题。
We found that 40% of the children told us that they had actually used the benches at the time of the study.
40%的孩子告诉我们，他们在研究期间确实使用了 ‘好友长凳’。
And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child was sitting on the bench.
超过90%的孩子说他们会和坐在长凳上的其他孩子交谈。
So, certainly there doesn't appear to be any issues around stigma.
所以，显然他们并不认为这有什么不光彩的。
Children's mental health at school is increasingly a concern in many countries.
在许多国家，儿童在校内的心理健康日益受到关注。
In Ireland, they're hoping these benches will not only tackle issues like social isolation and bullying
人们希望这些长凳不仅能解决社会隔离和欺凌等问题
but also give a future generation the confidence to open up about their feelings.
还能给未来的一代敞开心扉谈论自己感受的自信。