On March 15th, Petit Philosophy hosted a special Philosophy Café at the Center for Youth Zadar in collaboration with Prirodoslovno-grafička škola Zadar. This event was part of the Young Minds project, where workshops were created addressing high school students focused on mental health and critical thinking through film screenings and discussions.
Reflections on Strengths and Self-Compassion
For this session, students watched a short Swedish film, Mirrors, a 3-minute exploration the self-doubt and negative self-talk while giving visibility to the importance of self-compassion and self-acceptance. The film highlights the inner voices that criticise and demean but also delivers an important message of hope, reminding us that everyone faces struggles and that we are all enough.
After the screening, students engaged in a guided discussion where they were encouraged to reflect on their strengths and virtues.
The goal of the workshop was to help them recognize that everyone experiences moments of self-doubt and self-criticism but that it is important to differentiate between constructive self-reflection and harmful negative self-talk.
Each student identified three personal strengths and explained why they chose them, leading to a meaningful and insightful conversation.
The event was also an opportunity to test the workshop lesson plan developed for the Young Minds project before its full implementation in schools. The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive.
According to the survey results:
The positive response from students shows the need for such conversations, and we are excited to continue improving and expanding the Young Minds initiative.
Creating safe spaces for young people to discuss important topics like mental health and self-awareness is essential!
The students’ enthusiasm and insights were truly inspiring.
Stay tuned for upcoming sessions to further reflect and establish a meaningful dialogue on mental health topics.
